Africa Outlook - Issue 40

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Information technology’s most powerful force is entering a phase of cloud hypergrowth that promises to boost African enterprise

BJK INDUSTRIES

DANGOTE GROUP 20

84 Looking forward to a 20th year of growth on an increasingly large scale

Building Nigerian Industry via a pan-African strategy

UMSO CONSTRUCTION 64 Promoting economic growth in South Africa

AFRICA OUTLOOK ISSUE 40 F E A T U R I N G : S O L A R C E N T U R Y

JOBURG MARKET 90 The preferred world-class African fresh produce market

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Business Travel Guides

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Copious muse history are rare walls country’s large nce ered As one of the Cape Provi ty that city’s chequ the Eastern of of natural beau , situated in to the east t attractions to a plethora kilometres primary touris ‘Friendly - nearly 800 acts as the wild side that - the so-called ation as walk on the d look to reput this Cape Town is ive it and its posit traveller shoul City’ has built ting and sunthe business how long the stay in accommoda ts-beach r just that; an take no matte h of urban-meein, in their eth. kissed stretc rs Elizab make Port ay holid that brings ess travellers gives busin droves, and

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Since the late been l 1800s, it has its ating in equa as fascin nised and recog sing the key ty humbling when analy own Municipali enjoyment measure, but dictate the (prior to stats that will the city, you could be in forming part of your stay beyond the n not looking of the Nelso forgiven for Bay Mandela climate. n known as ‘The an Metropolita Despite being having and officially Municipality s with Windy City’ te synonymou in 2000), but oceanic clima hit the breezes that the the reminders the coastal l nature of subtropica the of tradition shores, the balances out yet than rical more histo n and regio a warm, remain culminate in d visit than significance affliction to humi s less area’ le and t the in comfortab throughou elsewhere lation, experience er furth you might artefacts, popu arks. inly , and certa landm South Africa language and nent. g Port into the conti When visitin facets are both Elizabeth, these

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Our Business Travel section not only gives executives the complete guide to the world’s most popular and populous locations, but also gives said locations the perfect opportunity to showcase their own businesses, events, venues and services to a truly international audience and readership of more than 165,000 each month. To share in this unrivalled exposure and to put your own offering on our map, then please contact our Sales Managers, Jake Aldridge or Joe Palliser to find out more.

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W E L C O M E Harnessing the power of the cloud Oracle is back, and better than ever!

Our annual catch-up with one of the world’s leading drivers of digital technologies and cloud computing, as ever, sees us discuss the intricacies of the Company with numerous country leaders and continental experts, as they lay out the business’s plans to further boost digitisation in Africa.

This year’s theme is the muchdiscussed and ongoing rise of cloud technologies and computing, with Oracle Africa analysing the trend’s benefits across the entire boardroom infrastructure; from the CEO to the CFO, the CHRO and the CMO. At the core of each executive decision-maker’s ability to optimise these tools is Oracle’s market-leading array of services and initiatives, and the Company is as committed as ever to enrich Africa with these, on a wider scale than ever before.

While Oracle represents our leading business profile this month, it is supported by some well constructed foundations in the form of Umso Construction, Betts Townsend and a special sector focus on Aliko Dangote’s ongoing love affair with his home nation, Nigeria.

The latter is putting his money where his mouth is through a new $1 billion cement plant in Edo as part of the continent’s richest man’s efforts to boost his country’s economy.

The former two companies are making their own waves in South Africa and East Africa respectively, as UMSO celebrates its 20th year with a vast market share increase, and Betts Townsend grows its foothold outside of SA in order to capitalise on eastern opportunities.

One domain that is set to feature heavily in Africa Outlook over the coming months, coinciding with numerous expos and events, is the food & drink sector; an area that we serve with a tantalising starter comprising both BJK Industries and Joburg Market in this edition.

Finally, we round-up June’s publication with the success stories of Golden Coach | Golden Fleet Ltd and Dodhia Packaging, while Guy Lawrence of Solarcentury opens up about the potential of solar energy in answering Africa’s power storage Matthew Staff needs.

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Information technology’s most powerful force is entering a phase of cloud hypergrowth that promises to boost African enterprise

BJK INDUSTRIES

DANGOTE GROUP 16

00 Looking forward to a 20th year of growth on an increasingly large scale

Building Nigerian Industry via a pan-African strategy

UMSO CONSTRUCTION 00 Promoting economic growth in South Africa

AFRICA OUTLOOK ISSUE 40 F E A T U R I N G : S O L A R C E N T U R Y

Editorial Director, Outlook Publishing

JOBURG MARKET 00 The preferred world-class African fresh produce market

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BETTS TOWNSEND

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POWER NIGERIA

EDITORIAL Editorial Director: Matthew Staff matthew.staff@outlookpublishing.com Deputy Editor: Emily Jarvis emily.jarvis@outlookpublishing.com

PRODUCTION Production Manager: Daniel George daniel.george@outlookpublishing.com Art Director: Stephen Giles steve.giles@outlookpublishing.com Advert Designer: Mandy Farnell mandy.farnell@outlookpublishing.com Images: Thinkstock by Getty Images

BUSINESS Sales Director: Nick Norris nick.norris@outlookpublishing.com Operations Director: James Mitchell james.mitchell@outlookpublishing.com Heads of Projects: Arron Rampling arron.rampling@outlookpublishing.com Donovan Smith donovan.smith@outlookpublishing.com Tom Cullum tom.cullum@outlookpublishing.com Sales Managers: Jake Aldridge jake.aldridge@outlookpublishing.com Joe Palliser joe.palliser@outlookpublishing.com Project Managers: Callam Waller callam.waller@outlookpublishing.com Eddie Clinton eddie.clinton@outlookpublishing.com Josh Hyland josh.hyland@outlookpublishing.com Joshua Mann joshua.mann@outlookpublishing.com Kane Weller kane.weller@outlookpublishing.com Stuart Parker stuart.parker@outlookpublishing.com

ADMINISTRATION Finance Director: Suzanne Welsh suzanne.welsh@outlookpublishing.com Admin Assistant: Sophia Curran sophia.curran@outlookpublishing.com Office Manager: Katie Park katie.park@outlookpublishing.com WEB DESIGN: Hamit Saka IT: James Le-May

OUTLOOK PUBLISHING Managing Director: Ben Weaver ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com Chairman: Mark Weaver CONTACT Outlook Publishing Ltd Woburn House, 84 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 4AB, United Kingdom Sales: +44 (0) 1603 959 652 Editorial: +44 (0) 1603 959 655 SUBSCRIPTIONS Tel: +44 (0)1603 959 655 Email: matthew.staff@outlookpublishing.com

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Enjoy the issue!

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In this issue of Africa Outlook...

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SHOWCASING LEADING COMPANIES Tell us your story and we’ll tell the world

F O O D

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ORACLE AFRICA Truly Committed to Africa in the Cloud Information technology’s most powerful force

BJK INDUSTRIES Quality, Reliability, Nutrition

Looking forward to a 20th year of growth on an increasingly large scale

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JOBURG MARKET Keeping Joburg Fresh

The preferred world-class African fresh produce market

UMSO CONSTRUCTION Uncompromising Quality Promoting economic growth in South Africa

S H I P P I N G & LO G I S T I C S

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NEWS

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SOLARCENTURY Re-energising Africa

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KROLL East Africa - The Digital Economy’s Heir Apparent

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All the latest top stories across the month from Africa

Answering Africa’s power storage needs with solar

Implementing SMART goals in order to expand

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BETTS TOWNSEND Strengthening its East African Foothold

Capitalising on renewed market confidence

Fast technological evolution brings the need to increased security

S E C T O R

GOLDEN COACH | GOLDEN FLEET LTD The Gold Standard in Tanzanian Transportation

MANUFACTURING

F O C U S

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DODHIA PACKAGING LIMITED Keeping a Close Eye on Quality Kenya’s largest player in cardboard packaging

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

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CONSTRUCTION Dangote Realises Nigeria’s Potential

Building Nigerian industry via a pan-African strategy

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EXCELLERATE PROPERTY SERVICES Boosting Business through Consolidation

Finding new opportunities in the face of slowing industry growth

MALUTI-A-PHOFUNG MUNICIPALITY Unlocking Sustainable Growth

Investing in the entrepreneurial spirit of the local people

E V E N T

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POWER NIGERIA

Poised to assist industry growth in 2016

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is significant. According to the Africa 2030 report, the overall sense is one of progress and optimism and that changes are sustainable, making Africa an attractive socio-economic focus in the coming years. Africa presents high growth prospects in power generation, transport, oil & gas and other infrastructure areas; including mining. The GE joint venture will focus on this broad set of segments by facilitating access to capital, thus offering the ability to execute and fully finance both advanced and early development stage projects.

The hurdles to address are rapid urbanisation and a growing middle class devoid of infrastructure.

More than half of African nations including Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and the DRC, don’t have access to electricity; and an infrastructure investment of US$360 billion in power production, power transmission, water storage, modern railways, port capacity and modern highways will be required up to 2040.

Furthermore, Africa needs to spend $90 billion a year for the next decade GE is to launch a joint venture with two other highly-regarded in order to upgrade and maintain its existing infrastructure alone. institutions in order to contribute to Africa’s infrastructure Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, funding gap President, African Development Together with the Mara Group integrated infrastructure approach Bank, said: “We all know painfully and Atlas Merchant Capital, in Africa. We are proud to partner well the imperative to fill Africa’s General Electric (GE) is leading an with the expertise and talent of Atlas annual $50 billion infrastructure initiative to create a joint venture Merchant Capital and Mara Group, funding gap. Partnerships like these dedicated to investing in Africa’s who have an extensive footprint in are a crucial part of the development underdeveloped infrastructure Africa, to address the necessities agenda as we seek to promote social sector. The venture will seek to on the African continent. We have and economic development and fight invest in infrastructure equity been significantly involved in social poverty in Africa.” projects in selected countries enterprises to date and will seek to The joint venture is well placed throughout Africa. further enhance and promote social to act as a leading shareholder Jay Ireland, President and CEO, and community development in the alongside sponsors of infrastructure GE Africa, commented: “This joint region to complement their expertise, projects and will use its relationships venture unifies three businesses knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit.” with lending banks and connectivity with a strong commitment and With the African population set to power Africa and related infrastructure expertise. The joint to rise to 1.5 billion by 2025, the institutions to meet the debt venture is our response to an continent’s economic growth potential component of its funding.

CONSTRUCTION

General Electric to Invest in African Infrastructure Projects

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Intra-Regional Trade Key to Boosting Economic Growth Despite the untapped opportunities that exist on the continent, trade between various African countries is still largely restricted as a result of various regulation barriers and a lack of supporting infrastructure and scale. This is according to Matthew Conroy, Trade Manager of Maersk Line South Africa, who explained that increasing the production of manufactured goods on the African continent and further standardisation of trade regulation are both key to improving interregional trade.

According to the United Nation’s recent Economic Report on Africa, more than 80 percent of Africa’s exports are shipped overseas,

ECONOMY

Africa’s Growth: Meltdown or Slowdown?

Economic growth across the region is likely to remain slower in coming years than it has been over the past 10-15 years, according to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) baseline projection for 2016 which is forecasting three percent growth, as opposed to the 6.1 percent promised in April, 2015.

Sugan Palanee, Africa Markets Leader at EY said: “From an investment perspective, the next few years may be challenging. This is not because the opportunities are no longer there, but rather because these opportunities are likely to be more uneven than they have been.

It is now more important than ever

mainly to the European Union (EU), China and the US. “In light of Africa Day [on 25 May], a day to celebrate the progress that the continent has made while reflecting

on the challenges we face in a global environment, it is important to note the role of intra-Africa trade as a catalyst for growth across the continent. Currently, intra-Africa trade only accounts for 10-12 percent of Africa trade. This is in comparison to the high levels of intra-regional trade recorded in Europe (60 percent) and Asia (40 percent),” said Conroy.

“Amid falling commodity prices and looming projections of decelerated GDP growth, intraregional trade is not playing the role on the continent that it could, which is largely due to the nature of the goods being produced. Many African countries extract and export primary commodities, but rely heavily on imports for manufactured goods.

Increasing the production and export levels of manufactured goods will increase the level of intra-Africa trade.”

approach to assessing investment and business opportunities for the longterm.”

To support investors in adapting to a more uncertain environment and to assess variable opportunities and risks across the continent, the EY Africa Attractiveness Index (AAI) has been created as a tool that provides a balanced set of shorter and longer term-focused metrics.

Michael Lalor, EY’s Lead Partner Africa Business Centre, commented: “It is important to recognise that this kind of indexed ranking does not provide a definitive assessment of any of these markets; there are obviously no absolute answers in searching for market potential. However, the Africa Attractiveness Index does provide a for organisations and investors, who useful starting point for analysts and sometimes place too greater emphasis helps enable a strategic dialogue on on short-term economic growth growth priorities, risk appetite and trends, to adopt a granular, fact-based investment criteria.”

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Swisatec to Build Africa’s first MultiBillion Rand Green Village South African architectural and project management firm, Swisatec is set to build the first multi-billion rand ‘Green Village’ in Cape Town.

The first of its kind in Africa, the Village will be an upgrade of the wellknown Blue Rock Resort, an attractive tourist location.

The Village comprises 1,000 luxury residential apartments built on 40 hectares of land. Plans for the mixeduse Blue Rock Village include a multifunctional lifestyle centre, an array of medical centres, boutiques, schools and colleges, nurseries, restaurants and cafes. Linked to the centre will be a hotel, spa and conference centre.

Lukas Reichmuth, Founder and Director of Blue Rock Village said: “The project will be market-driven, focusing on both the international market and the South African market, and our apartments are designed to fit different types of individual needs... The Blue Rock Village will set a precedent for future development in South Africa.”

Blue Rock Resort, the first multi-billion rand ‘Green Village’, Cape Town

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Massive Scope for Mobile Growth in Kenyan Retail A new Nielsen Study on Kenyan retailers and technology reveals that despite the massive uptake in mobile usage in Kenya, there is still significant scope for growth in the market, particularly in the retail environment.

MANUFACTURING

MAN Inaugurates Large Corporation Group The Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) has inaugurated its Large Corporation Group, which will, among other things, come up with policy recommendations that will lead to a conducive economic and social climate for the operation and development of large-scale industries in Nigeria.

Speaking at the inauguration, MAN’s President, Frank Udemba said one of the most crucial tasks before the Large Corporation Group is the facilitation of effective linkage between small and medium-scale industries and large-scale industries in the production and supply value chain. Udemba said linkage is critical in the task of making

The study revealed that the Kenyan retail arena remains dominated by direct dealings in terms of both transactions and communication, with 96 percent of customers still preferring to use cash in-store, and 88 percent of retailers relying on face-to-face interaction to inform customers about new products.

The mobile channel seems hugely under utilised, with mobile money being used by only 12 percent of customers, and only three percent of retailers using SMS to inform customers about new products, and one percent using WhatsApp. In light of this, Nielsen East Africa’s Managing Director, Jacqueline Nyanjom commented: “In a country with 96 percent mobile penetration, the findings are somewhat surprising - but they do point to enormous potential for growth.”

Nigeria a manufacturing hub in the sub-region and beyond.

The event was sponsored by General Electric (GE) who made a presentation on GE’s Gas-to-Power solutions focusing on the use of LPG as a reliable and available fuel source for power generation. The integrated solution will go a long way in addressing a number of the energy needs of Nigerian manufacturers.

Frank Udemba Jacobs at the inauguration of the Large Corporations Group in Lagos

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FINANCE

Closing the Gap Between Strategy and Execution

DLA Piper Appoints SA Managing Partner DLA Piper has appointed Johannes Gouws as Country Managing Partner for South Africa; with the aim to utilise his existing knowledge of cross-border and domestic mergers & acquisitions, securities regulation, corporate finance, corporate law and resolution of financial institutions.

Gouws said: “The South African legal landscape is evolving and DLA Piper will be a strong force in the market.

I am excited to be joining the firm at the outset of its development in Johannesburg and, as well as building a first-class legal practice locally, will

Johannes Gouws, Country Managing Partner, DLA Piper South Africa

be working alongside the firm’s wellestablished Africa Group in order to build the DLA Piper brand across the continent.”

According to ongoing global research carried out by Strategy&, 50 percent of business leaders don’t believe they have a winning strategy to begin with and almost all report missing major opportunities in the market.

Jorge Camarate, Strategy& Partner, explained: “Worldwide and across the African continent we are seeing companies battle with how to develop strategies that keep them competitive in an increasingly complex global marketplace. All too often companies don’t think about strategy and execution together.

“It is critical that companies expanding into Africa should focus on their own capabilities.”

TECHNOLOGY

ZTE Receives Customer Value Leadership Award

Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais, Founder and Chairman of the Advisory Board, Quantum Global Group

F I N A N C E

Quantum Global Bolsters Workforce Investment firm, Quantum Global has recently hired a number of new senior staff as part of its overriding objective to increase investor access to Africa’s vast development potential through funds registered in Mauritius.

Commenting on the expansion plans of the Quantum Global Group, Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais, Founder and Chairman of the Advisory Board, stated: “We have launched a number of private equity vehicles in Mauritius and our team of highly experienced individuals will act as a catalyst to increase the momentum of our business at a time when we are experiencing significant overseas interest in African investments.”

Frost & Sullivan has rewarded ZTE for its high value and cost-effective end-to-end green energy telecoms solutions in sub-Saharan Africa with the award for ‘Customer Value Leadership’.

Based on its recent analysis of the green energy solutions market for telecommunications and industryleading telecommunications technology – making it both a strategic technology and energy partner of choice – ZTE caters to the evolving needs of the SSA market by providing clean, reliable, modular and costcompetitive energy solutions.

ZTE’s solutions for distributed generation power supply and green energy are helping to address both the unique needs and constraints of the regional market.

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TELL US YOUR STORY

AND WE’LL TELL THE WORLD AFRICA OUTLOOK is a digital and print product aimed at boardroom and hands-on decision-makers across a wide range of industries on the continent.

With content compiled by our experienced editorial team, complemented by an in-house design and production team ensuring delivery to the highest standards, we look to promote the latest in engaging news, industry trends and success stories from the length and breadth of Africa.

We reach an audience of 165,000 people across the continent, bridging the full range of industrial sectors: mining; oil & gas; logistics; resources; manufacturing; construction; engineering; technology; food & drink; retail; finance; and healthcare.

In joining the leading industry heavyweights already enjoying the exposure we can provide, you can benefit from FREE coverage across both digital and print platforms, a FREE marketing brochure, extensive social media saturation, enhanced B2B networking opportunities, and a readymade forum to attract new investment and to grow your business.

To get involved, please contact Outlook Publishing’s Managing Director, Ben Weaver, who can provide further details on how to feature your company, for free, in one of our upcoming editions.

W W W. A F R I C A O U T LO O K M A G . C O M Tel: +44 (0) 1603 959 650 Email: ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com

S O L A R C E N T U R Y

Re-energising

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The cost and efficiency of new technology is already propelling the global power storage industry, and this is opening up exciting opportunities in Africa’s solar energy sector Writer: Emily Jarvis

U T I L I T I E S

esearchers claim that power from the sun could supply 20 percent of energy worldwide by 2027 as solar panel prices are expected to continue to fall 10 percent each year. Past experience suggests that energy scenarios often fail to predict the full extent of solar’s rapid growth, so it’s possible that 20 percent could be rather conservative.

This is particularly true in countries

that want to rapidly expand their electricity system, as is the case in some African countries, where solar can affordably provide energy where it was previously not supplied at all.

Solarcentury’s East Africa Director, Guy Lawrence says the impending rise of storage technologies also makes the case for solar, since devices such as batteries can maximise the solar investment and make clean solar electricity available after dark.

Solar has been a cost-effective and reliable way to secure the energy requirements of this tea farm in Changoi, Kenya

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Africa Outlook (AfO): What factors are causing the price of solar panels to fall so rapidly?

Guy Lawrence (GL): Firstly, capacity expansion is perhaps the most significant reason for the 10 percent price fall year-on-year; as global PV capacity has grown every quarter for a sustained period, this additional volume drives down price. With increased capacity and new production lines, the opportunity to install more automated processes increases the production rate and lowers the cost of module production.

Secondly, the falling cost of silicon is also helping to lower the cost of solar, and other technological improvements are pushing down prices. Moreover, improved cell efficiency lowers the cost-per-watt of all other costs. For example, as the standard module efficiency has improved over the past two years or so, costs have fallen.

Lastly, without government subsidies for solar, the industry has to focus on cost. The presence of more large bankable, mature PV companies Changoi is one of only six systems in the world that has ‘solar fuel saver’ technology makes today’s solar market more competitive, which also helps to lower opportunities for solar and storage in has a predictable output since it can costs.

Africa is the fact that businesses can supply energy as long as there is use it to reduce energy bills; a benefit daylight. Solar is cost-competitive with AfO: How do you think this will that looks after the bottom-line and grid prices in much of sub-Saharan affect Africa’s solar industry saves money, which can then be spent Africa. Where diesel generators are in specifically in the next five-10 years? elsewhere. use, solar can be easily integrated to GL: Growing economies need power. save fuel and further reduce bills. This Falling solar prices mean that solar AfO: What part of the continent is an increasingly common application is now economically viable without has the most potential for solar for solar. subsidies across much of Africa. Solar energy and why?

Falling storage prices are creating is also proven to complement the grid GL: Africa’s plentiful sunshine hours opportunities for solar projects with and diesel generators. In the next thanks to its equatorial location make integrated storage capacities. This five-10 years it will become increasingly it well suited to solar PV. The two setup is competitive in Equatorial commonplace for residential and major areas with the highest annual Africa where sunshine hours are high commercial customers to purchase average sunshine duration are the and where there is a heavy reliance on solar and implement storage solutions central and eastern Sahara Desert; diesel generators. to reduce and stabilise energy bills. covering vast, mainly desert countries Similarly, grid-connected solar farms such as Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Chad, AfO: Tell me more about and Niger. The largest sun-baked Solarcentury’s project (icipe) and owned by power companies are to become increasingly common; a trend region in the world – with more than how solar storage systems are having which can be seen across Dubai, Chile 3,000 hours of sunshine annually – is an impact in Africa’s remote/rural areas? and the UK among other countries.

North Africa.

GL: In July, 2016 Solarcentury will One of the most exciting Solar can be quickly deployed and undertake the installation of three

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solar PV plants with a total capacity of 1154kWp at the Nairobi-based International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe).

Two solar roof systems combined with a carport system will be built at the icipe Duduville Campus in Nairobi.

The third solar roof system will be built at the icipe Thomas Odhiambo Campus, in western Kenya, which will be combined with a storage element.

The storage will provide an alternative backup energy supply to the expensive diesel generators and enable solar electricity to be consumed around-theclock.

Beyond this particular system, customers across the continent can benefit from solar (with or without storage) to reduce energy bills. With storage, reliability of power can be improved and peak pricing can be avoided under some circumstances.

The latest storage systems have long service lives and high energy density.

Consumers can be less reliant on an intermittent grid or expensive diesel generators and more dependent on solar.

When the grid fails, businesses want immediate and seamless backup power. Adding storage to a solar system gives instant and reliable backup in the absence of grid energy and reduces reliance on expensive diesel generators.

For rural and remote areas with no grid power, solar can be a vital source of electricity during daylight hours, helping to power factories, shops, homes and public buildings.

Adding storage means batteries can be charged during daylight hours, ready for use after dark so people can benefit from solar at night.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted that solar energy could be the top source of electricity by 2050, generating up to 16 percent of the world’s electricity. Plummeting costs of equipment and silicon are key reasons for this.

Actis’ Garden City has the largest solar carport system in Africa

Guy Lawrence, Director, Solarcentury East Africa

“Adding storage to a solar system gives instant and reliable backup in the absence of grid energy and reduces reliance on expensive diesel generators”

AfO: How do you hope to see solar and solar storage evolve in response to global and continental trends?

GL: Storage has historically been considered too expensive or too short lived. However, a mass market for reliable batteries has been created by mobile phones, consumer electronics and electric vehicles.

These technological developments are also spreading to the power industry and storage products – from Tesla’s Powerwall to utility-scale battery storage – are increasingly common, and they are evolving quickly.

The batteries in our phones last twothree years and batteries for utilityscale systems can have a warranty of up to 10 years, with some cycled nearly 100,000 times. Storage technology is now mature and fit for market adoption and it is now a misconception that ‘batteries do not last’.

To understand storage is to understand its flexibility. It means more solar energy can be installed while simultaneously allowing diesel generators to be switched off, or run more efficiently. This is critical for African countries that are currently relying on diesel for backup power, or indeed diesel 24-seven in the absence of grid power.

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East Africa:The

Digital Economy’s Heir Apparent East Africa’s increasingly digital economies need to place security at the centre of their technological investments in order to maintain the region’s current growth path Writer: Benedict Hamilton, Managing Director of Kroll’s Regional Business and Cyber Investigations Team

ast Africa might seem to be an unlikely part of the world to be pioneering the digital economy but its credentials are well established. The use of mobile phones as a payment platform started in Kenya more than 10 years ago with the inception of M-Pesa and became popular long before mobile banking was commonplace in more developed economies. It is now used by a significant proportion of the population for everything from paying for petrol to running the payroll for farms and factories. The evolution of financial services in Kenya in particular mean that today, it is five-times easier to access a bank account in Kenya than it is in Uganda. The rise of the humble mobile has been rapid, and is credited by many as being the driver for the region’s sustained economic growth. However, with such a fast technological

evolution comes the need for increased cyber security.

Between 2006 and 2014, it is estimated that 12.5 million Kenyan adults accessed a bank account for the first time. Conversely, in 2005, there were only 2.5 million deposit accounts in Kenya and less than one fifth of the population had access to financial services.

Following a successful pilot period in 2006, mobile financial services sprung into use with the official launch of M-Pesa. Fast-forward eight years and by 2014 there were 26.2 million registered mobile money accounts, with three-quarters of Kenyan adults able to access financial services.

Most of this was made possible by mobile money initiatives and regulation change, allowing an infrastructure of agents via both banks and telecommunications firms to provide widespread access to financial services. Part of mobile money’s attraction is that it is safer than carrying

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“Government leaders see this as an important way to reduce corruption as electronic payments leave trails that make auditing who has received payments much easier”

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or storing large amounts of cash, and it is a simple bolt-on to pre-existing commercial relationships.

auditing who has received payments much easier, certainly when compared to a cash exchange. Electronic transactions also help to increase Cashless economies tax revenues. Consequently, bankers It is a clever answer to the much see the internet and mobile phone debated question of ‘how to bank networks as a way to improve margins the unbanked’, but financial services and extend coverage. and government leaders have greater It is not just Kenya that is embracing ambition than this. It is not uncommon, this vision though. In Rwanda, Mobifor example, to hear senior banking cash is a mobile banking Company that and government figures talking about takes deposits and has a number of a cashless economy. Government banking licences from Africa’s Central leaders see this as an important way Banks. Although most of its customers to reduce corruption as electronic use the service through a smartphone payments leave trails that make app, you don’t have to have a mobile

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phone to open an account, you just need to register a range of biometric indicators. In Uganda, Mobi-cash is used by the army to pay salaries through biometrics which provides reassurance to the Government that all salaries are going to real people rather than ‘ghost’ soldiers; a problem across many African professions.

Northern Corridor Technology Alliance

Successful roll-out of these initiatives is driven from top-line government.

Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan are all part of the Northern Corridor Technology Alliance (NCTA), a regional sector alliance formed to champion the implementation of key ICT projects within the region.

The NCTA was formally launched in Kigali July 17, 2015 and is designed to help drive further digital growth and innovation. How this new infrastructure will be kept secure though is not yet clear.

Pioneering new banking systems and electronic tax collection has its challenges. These countries also have to discover what works – and what does not – for the first time. The biggest challenge comes from the new vulnerabilities to cyber crime and infrastructure vandalism; and this is exactly why companies like Kroll want to be part of this new technology revolution. There is opportunity for us to learn from working together with private and public sector agencies.

Kenya’s digital economy

All the indicators point to the further success and expansion of digital services through mobile and ecommerce. Mobile telecoms services in Kenya grew in revenue by 33 percent last year compared to the previous year. While other African countries have suffered from the depression in

The NCTA was formally launched in Kigali on July 17, 2015 and is designed to help drive further digital growth and innovation

One billion

Number of predicted mobile broadband connections in Africa by 2020

commodity prices, Kenya has been posting five percent GDP growth consistently, using its digitalisation to drive growth.

Furthermore, research published by analyst group, Ovum in November, 2015 stated that the number of mobile broadband connections in Africa will reach one billion by 2020, up from 147 million recorded at the end of 2014.

With the increased use of mobile broadband it is expected that the use of mobile banking and financial services will grow as more people gain access to these crucial services.

East Africa is finding its own development path and it seems to be working. The focus and drive of technology initiatives in the region – initiatives which have leapfrogged a number of legacy infrastructures in more developed economies (certainly in the financial services sector) – may place East Africa as a technology frontrunner for years to come; especially if technological innovation is matched by an equally impressive level of security improvements.

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WWW.WEFORUM.ORG /PHOTO MATTHEW JORDAAN MATTHEW.JORDAAN@INL.CO.ZA

S E C T O R

Dangote Realises Nigeria’s Potential he Dangote Group announced in April that it would begin constructing a $1 billion cement factory in Okpella, Edo State, to expand its cement production in Nigeria, and to fulfil its President, Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s longstanding belief in the country’s global potential.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported at the time that the six million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) Okpella plant and the upcoming six mmtpa plant in Itori, Ogun State, will increase the Company’s local

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production capacity to 41 mmtpa annually.

The Okpella project, which is to be constructed within 26 months, will provide 6,000 direct jobs and 45,000 indirect jobs in the community.

Kayode Fayemi, the Minister of Solid Minerals, said at the unveiling ceremony at Okpella that the cement plant was evidence that the diversification agenda of the Federal Government was already working.

He added that the cement plant would be a model that would bring positive changes to the nation’s solid minerals sector in the areas of job

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creation, foreign exchange earnings and local content promotion.

Fayemi also advised other investors to take a cue from Dangote’s commitment and support to transform the nation’s economy through active participation.

Okechukwu Enelamah, the Minister for Trade, Industry and Investment, commended the expansion drive of Dangote Group through its commitment to liberate the country from cement importation, increased job creation and foreign exchange earnings.

“Dangote Group is the second

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Aliko Dangote has long labelled his home country as one of the world’s most lucrative to invest in, and continues to put his money where his mouth is via a new $1 billion cement factory in Edo State Writer: Matthew Staff

largest employer of labour in the country, second to the Federal Government,” he said. “The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment will continue to partner with Dangote in providing the necessary support for investment growth in the country.”

Aliko Dangote, Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Group, said that local cement manufacturers were saving the country three billion dollars annually through cement import substitution and that “the additional investment in the sector will guarantee that we always

“The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment will continue to partner with Dangote in providing the necessary support for investment growth in the country”

meet local demand as well as surplus for export and foreign exchange generation”.

Governor, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State said that the establishment of the cement plant would increase the internally generated revenue of the state and reduce its dependence on federal allocations from oil wealth.

Yusuf Dirisu, the monarch of Okpella, commended the commitment of Dangote Group to the establishment of the plant, while pledging the community’s support to provide an enabling environment for the investment to thrive.

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Dangote meanwhile joined Government officials in urging other investors to explore investment opportunities in the country considering the Federal Government’s readiness to resuscitate the industrial sector through investment-friendly policies.

“A key factor that drives investments in an economy is the presence of an investor-friendly business climate,” he emphasised. “Nigeria is a growing economy. Our developmental challenges are quite enormous and will require the combined efforts of Government and the private sector to overcome them.

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“Nigeria is really the best place to invest...

It is one of the best places to make money. You know all over the world it is the best kept secret actually in terms of investment”

“It is in this light that we are here to contribute our own quota to transforming the economy of Edo State as we have done elsewhere.

“This project is only one of our several successful projects presently ongoing in parts of the country and outside in more than 15 other locations in African countries in line with our pan-African investment strategy.”

World’s best secret

The latest announcement represents the most recent phase in a long running romance that the infamous Company President has had with his

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home nation, often describing the country as one of the world’s best kept secrets in terms of investments.

A recent exclusive interview with CNN once again compounded these thoughts with him declaring that he feels fulfilled in knowing he’s doing something great for his country.

“Nigeria is really the best place to invest,” he affirmed. “It is one of the best places to make money.

You know all over the world it is the best kept secret actually in terms of investment.”

Dangote told CNN he was motivated to create an African success

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story and to create employment in Nigeria because he believes that entrepreneurship holds the key to the future economic growth of the continent. He also said he is committed to improving the conditions of those living close to his factories, as part of his philosophy of corporate social responsibility.

Dangote added that one of his cement factories, the Obajana Cement Plant, one of the largest in the world, plans to double its capacity, thus creating even more employment opportunities for

the local population.

Subsequently, as one of the largest private sector employers in Nigeria, with a nationwide workforce of 12,000, a figure that is set to rise with the opening of the aforementioned new factories, Dangote’s multi-billion dollar conglomerate is only set to expand further in the coming years.

As Africa’s richest man, his net worth is now thought to be above US$18 billion; a fortune that is likely to have a significant bearing on the state of his country’s economy, culture and social fabric moving forward.

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is a leading business-to-business publication promoting and showcasing the leading companies across an array of sectors on the continent.

Appearing in both digital and print, the publication is aimed at boardroom members and hands-on decision makers, reaching more than 165,000 business executives.

Each month we feature leading companies and business executives by profiling their operations and success stories. Covering areas of best practice, capital investments, the supply chain, innovation and continuous improvement, we aim to promote all that is good about the industry and the region, with your company taking centre stage throughout it all.

Producing business profiles across the full range of sectors and every corner of the continent, Africa Outlook is the platform to promote your business success.

Read on for this month’s profiles.

Emily Jarvis, Deputy Editor emily.jarvis@outlookpublishing.com

If you want to enjoy the exposure and coverage we can offer, please feel free to contact us to discuss the opportunity further.

Tell us your story and we’ll tell the world.

Matthew Staff, Editorial Director Tel: +44 (0) 1603 959 655 matthew.staff@outlookpublishing.com

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Truly Committed to

AFRICA in the Cloud

Oracle has been doing business on the African continent for more than two decades, and over the past three years has invested significantly to support our existing customers and partners as we enter the phase of cloud hypergrowth,” introduces Janusz Naklicki, Senior Vice President of Oracle Africa; a Company whose influence on the continent embraces nine countries and who continues to revolutionise the ways in which companies operate in the digital age.

The power of cloud technologies and computing in particular is something which Oracle has harnessed and instilled into the continent’s enterprises in recent years, with Naklicki amazed at how quickly the trends continue to evolve in Africa.

In relation to the speed of data transmission, marketing requirements and internal technological efficiencies, never before has a Company such as

Information technology’s most powerful force, Oracle is harnessing the power of the cloud to boost African enterprise and lead the way in business agility, innovation and collaboration Writer: Matthew Staff Project Manager: Donovan Smith

Oracle been in as much demand, and – as a consequence – the global business is dedicating itself to meeting those needs on an increasingly large scale.

“We have celebrated the opening of five new offices over the past year which brings us up to nine Oracle offices in Africa, located in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria.

“As our cloud leadership continues to grow on the continent, we have also invested in people. Earlier this year, Oracle announced that it would be recruiting 1,400 cloud sales people across the EMEA region, which includes a number of those being recruited into Africa to add to our already strong workforce of nearly 800 individuals.”

The veer away from standard in-house operations to the more contemporary reliance on mobility and remote working is a process built on a bedrock of business agility, innovation and collaboration; three facets that epitomise cloud computing and three principles that Oracle has already addressed.

“What’s really forcing companies, regardless of size [to adopt cloud computing] is how efficient it can be in deploying the computing infrastructure,” Naklicki emphasised in a recent interview. “There are no barriers of entry, there is flexibility,

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and the power of cloud computing supports companies in their market expansion.”

The belief in entrepreneurship on the continent drives Oracle’s African strategy where the Company facilitates such business acumen with the necessary tools to thrive and survive in the modern environment.

The flexibility of cloud itself further aids industry-wide development, with its incremental nature benefiting businesses of all sizes.

“The beauty of cloud is you don’t have to buy the brewery to have a beer,” Nakilicki said. “We are offering a service – not a product – in an incremental way and everyone can find

Janusz Naklicki, Senior Vice President, Oracle Africa

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the chunks of those increments as they grow.”

The broadness of Oracle’s cloud services is an additional advantage, bridging areas of customer management, marketing, ERP and much more under one seamless opportunity for Oracle’s partners and customers to cherry pick from, in accordance with their own bespoke requirements and the most pressing trends in their fields.

Naklicki added: “In relation to cloud, some trends are prevailing in the market; mobility will be stronger and stronger as more and more services are delivered on the mobile devices; social media is also very powerful to help understand the needs of customers and to help shape the services and offerings for their customers; and the third trend is the Internet of Things.

“A lot of devices – not only mobile phones and computers – are connected to the internet, communicating constantly and providing information to be analysed and brought to the businesses to make right decisions.”

For Oracle Africa, the right decision revolves around a continuation of the good works carried out on the continent so far, having expanded exponentially while addressing areas of capacity building and skills development along the way; a philosophy which is set to drive the business forward in the future also.

“We’re constantly monitoring the opportunity to expand and we want to go further to be a truly African Company,” Naklicki concluded.

“We hire Africans and locals and my responsibility in Africa is to make sure my leaders here are born and educated here. We truly believe in local talent and want to better it.

“We also have an intern programme for the youth to be familiarised with and then stay in this environment, so it’s all about long-term engagement.”

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Oracle’s One-of-a-Kind Cloud Day THE FIRST ever Oracle Cloud Day reached more than 12,000 people and spanned 36 countries across subSaharan Africa.

The event was a first of its kind, rolled-out by using Oracle’s superior cloud technology and was different to anything that the organisation had ever attempted before. Webinar technology was implemented to engage the various regions across sub-Saharan Africa simultaneously, bringing together 3,000 physical and 9,000 online attendants.

Together with Oracle’s state-of-the-art cloud technology, Oracle reached partners, channel partners, distributors, entrepreneurs, students and consumers who have and have not yet heard about Oracle. In total, more than one million participants were reached on one day, all at the same time.

“At Oracle, we believe that cloud is the most powerful force in information technology, and in short this means that it’s changing the way we work, the way we collaborate and the way we go to market. It will

ultimately change the way we think about business,” says Cherian Varghese, sub-Saharan Africa Cluster Leader, Oracle. “At Oracle, we believe that cloud is the most powerful force in information technology, and in short this means that it’s changing the way we work, the way we collaborate and the way we go to market. It will ultimately change the way we think about business.

“Cloud can and will have a profound impact on business in Africa. Not only will it enable SMEs and large corporations to respond faster to the ever-demanding customer, but it will help businesses to innovate cost effectiveness at a pace that will overwhelm competitors, and at the same time it will unlock the potential of employees by supporting new ways of collaborating.”

The ‘Oracle Cloud Day’ was an overall triumph with viral success on platforms such as Twitter – with 703,457 impressions from 599 mentions by 126 users – as well as media coverage by various publications across the 36 countries.

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Skills Development Capacity building for future talent and innovation in Africa

ORACLE’S ONGOING commitment to surrounding academic institutions, up-skilling initiatives and corporate social responsibility inevitably has positive ramifications beyond the confines of Oracle HQ, and ever since the Company began investing in the continent it has been tackling core industry issues; namely the challenge of an insufficient talent pool to drive the technological transformation that is occurring on the continent.

“This is particularly critical in ICT where the pace of development is happening so quickly and finding IT talent that can underpin the technology change is difficult,” explains the Company’s Senior Director of Business Development, Oracle ECEMEA, Paula Craythorne. “To that end Oracle created a Capacity Building programme to address those areas that government, customers and partners shared with us as areas for concern.”

The buzzword emanating from these efforts is ‘readiness’; readiness that needs to be instilled across individual employees, the IT ecosystem, the

youth generation, and the workforce as a whole.

Employee

From an employee perspective, “this is analysing the skills that existing employees have, both in the government and private sector, to ensure they can maximise the use of new technologies being implemented”, Craythorne says. “Very often, only a small percentage of the functionality is being used which means customers are not seeing a full return on their investment.”

It is therefore vital to analyse the needs of existing employees to ensure the correct and most relevant training is being provided, something which Oracle University is aiding across both the initial skills assessment, and then also the training plan compilation so that individuals are ready to capitalise on the functionality of the wider business.

“This is challenging as graduates come out of University with hope and aspirations but don’t have the skills that industry needs,” Craythorne notes.

Capacity building by numbers

392 local technology entrepreneurs

and developers were supported as part of Oracle’s ‘made in Africa’ solutions via knowledge transfer sessions across 16 innovation hubs in nine countries

48 participants celebrated their

graduation ceremony at Oracle Cloud Day in Kenya following the completion of the President Digital Talent Programme

220 C-level government employees

were reached via supported public sector workshops on eGovernment trends including data management, education, healthcare, smart cities and revenue management

135 Oracle employee children have been trained on Java across Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Mauritius

17 government ministries from 14

countries were engaged via the Oraclesponsored Innovation Africa Conference

143 participants joined an Oracle

Academy Day in Tanzania including officials from ministries, education, IT officials, Tanzanian Councillors and the Vice President’s office

20 students across four high schools

in Kenya benefited from hosted STEM Innovation Solutions Showcases for students aged 14 to 18

43 graduates are participating in the 2016 Oracle EOH Learnership Programme which provides students with the opportunity to graduate as OracleCertified Associates

1,300 learners situated in a low-

income district have achieved an annual final year pass rate that is significantly higher than the national average when attending Ponelopele Oracle Secondary School

2014 saw the top student for the

Gauteng Province come from the Ponelopele Oracle Secondary School; obtaining eight distinctions including 100 percent in maths and science. The School also runs a successful bursary programme

80 youth in the eThekwini Municipality

attended a 24-hour Codefest where students use Java technology to prepare solutions to industry challenges identified by the local business community

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Oracle is also investing in young talent through its internship programme, the rigorous training that each individual goes through prepares them for the kind of contributions they will need to make as part of a workforce, and Oracle is proud of this contribution; currently in the fourth year of its intern programme with more than 150 graduates having benefitted so far, and now finding

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employment in the Oracle ecosystem.

Youth generation

The final question revolves around the theme of longevity and how to not only build skills, but to do so sustainably.

The answer derives from the Oracle WDP which helps educational institutions prepare a new generation of IT specialists to enter the workforce with the most in-demand Oracle skills.

“Institutions can offer authorised Oracle training content as part of their existing certificate, diploma, and/or degree programmes,” Craythorne details. “In addition to the initiatives under the programme, we have our

Corporate Citizenship Programme, Oracle Academy, designed to help nurture interest in computer science from an early age and is also geared-up for secondary level and universities.”

She concludes: “This capacity building programme has a strong focus from the employee all the way back to the high school student who will go on a journey through school and get to understand and love computer science. We are very committed to a multi-stakeholder partnership, as no one organisation can really address the skills challenges that are present; and we have many engagements with governments and the private sector across Africa.”

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT:

The Government of Rwanda Jerome GASANA, Director General, Workforce Development Authority, Rwanda “The Government of Rwanda embarked on promoting quality education to meet labour market demands. This vision is vested in many strategies, among them becoming an information and communications technology (ICT) hub in the region.

“Rwanda has established strong collaborations with international technology companies including Oracle Systems Limited in the process of unlocking the potential of ICT in sustainable development. In 2015, Rwanda’s Ministry of Education through the Workforce Development

Authority (WDA) signed a memorandum of understanding with Oracle Systems Limited aimed at developing skilled IT practitioners and trainers in the education sector and the broader IT industry.

“Such collaboration with Oracle Systems Limited does not only enable education stakeholders in Rwanda to improve the quality assurance for Technical Vocational and Education Training (TVET), but also the implementation of the smart Africa manifesto that puts ICT at the centre of socio-economic transformation.”

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Oracle Giving Solving global challenges

ORACLE GIVING IN AFRICA ORACLE SUPPORTS more than 1,000 non-profit organisations globally through a combination of grants, sponsorships and volunteer support. The Company’s grantees are working to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges; from delivering reliable healthcare to rural communities in Africa; to fostering the next generation of innovators; to supporting girls and young women of colour in the digital space. In Africa alone, Oracle has 10 grant recipients.

One such recipient is Wecyclers, a Nigerian Company helping lowincome communities to capture value from waste and to clean up their neighbourhoods through incentivebased recycling.

Oracle funding supports general operating and the creation of recycling clubs at two schools, which

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One of the ways that Oracle helps to address the ICT skills challenge is by supporting nonprofit organisations that advance education – especially computer science education – as well as organisations that protect the environment, and enrich community life.

Akili Dada, Kenya serves as a leadership incubator, investing in high-achieving young African women from underprivileged backgrounds who are passionate about social change. Oracle funds scholarships for five underprivileged young women ages 13-20 in the Young Changemakers Programme, which provides mentoring and leadership training.

Scholarships cover tuition, board, fees, supplies and personal care items.

Strathmore University, Kenya is one of the country’s leading schools of business, finance, and information technology, where the Oracle Centre of Excellence provides training for lecturers and teachers.

Africa Cancer Foundation, Kenya helps prevent cancer and provides holistic solutions for African people affected by cancer by mobilising resources, conducting research, and providing education to the public and to healthcare practitioners. Oracle funding has enabled the development of a web platform to improve access to cancer screenings, diagnosis, and treatment, and an SMS platform to target communities in rural areas.

WEEE Centre, Kenya addresses environmental and health hazards of increasing e-waste. Oracle funding supports the Centre’s public education programme, which explains the hazards of e-waste and how to properly dispose of it, provides youth entrepreneurship training in the responsible reclamation and sale of valuable materials, and increases the volume of e-waste processed at the Centre.

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educate 10,000 households annually on the importance of proper waste management.

Since being awarded the Oracle grant, Wecyclers has purchased a truck to boost waste collection; has been selected as the winner of the 2014 Sustainia Prize (a prestigious award given to the best sustainable solutions from around the world); has been named as a finalist in the 2014 Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship in the Social Entrepreneurship category; and has been selected by the Unilever Foundry Programme for a sustainable behaviour change pilot. iHub Limited, Kenya supports the local tech community by connecting people and supporting start-ups. Oracle funding has enabled the formation of a Java Users Group, delivery of Alice and Greenfoot workshops for children, and the creation of a showcase event for Java applications and solutions developed at the iHub. Riders for Health, Kenya and Nigeria delivers public healthcare services to rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa predictably, reliably, and cost effectively. Oracle provides general operating support, including maintenance of a fleet of motorcycles and four-wheel-drive vehicles used to transport medicine, vaccines, specimens/ results and healthcare, workers who deliver care and conduct educational outreach and disease monitoring.

The Diane Fossey Gorilla Fund International, Rwanda protects and conserves gorillas and their habitats in Africa. Oracle funding supports daily tracking of gorillas and anti-poaching patrols. It has also enabled development of an iOS mobile application for data capture in the field and accurate transfer to the Fossey Fund’s new database in the Oracle Cloud.

Co-Creation Hub, Nigeria accelerates the application of social capital and technology for economic prosperity. Oracle funding supports the Geeks Club, an after-school computing club held weekly for secondary school students ages 13-18.

Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre, Nigeria educates, connects, and empowers women and girls through active engagement in technology training, mentoring and career counselling. Oracle funding supports the Girls Technology Club, which engages 800 underserved girls from 20 high schools, plus alumni of the two-week girls camp, and deepens their skills through programming classes, tech company excursions, career talks and mentoring.

EDITORIAL

Partnering to innovate By: Vish Rajpal, Group Executive: Business Solutions at Business Connexion

Today’s tough economic climate is driving organisations to digitise and embrace the Internet of Things (IoT) to make them more flexible and agile, giving them the ability to change rapidly and drive down costs.

needs of both our multinational and in-country customers, our operational footprint reaches into the African continent, with Field Delivery Support in our strategic offices in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana.

Organisations need slick processes that are available across multiple platforms, including mobile devices. These processes also need to be integrated seamlessly, regardless of whether they run on premise, or in the cloud. In this rapidly changing business environment, the use of multiple vendors and integrators can increase complexity and cost, and could lead to integration issues. What organisations need is a strategic partnership between a vendor with multiple solutions to meet all their needs, and a system integrator with the capability to design, implement and integrate a solution that meets their specific requirements.

Executing Oracle’s vision of one-stop-shopping for the entire IT infrastructure, our delivery model includes onpremise, as-a-service, managed services out of our data centres, or integrated into the public cloud. We are continuously looking for opportunities to expand these capabilities throughout Africa.

As a strategic Oracle partner, Business Connexion has invested significantly to ensure it has the skills, certifications and capability to deliver across the entire Oracle stack of hardware, software and industry solutions.

Business Connexion also recently acquired two Oracle specialised companies to further strengthen its offering.

ANCO-IT specialises in the Oracle eBusiness Suite and applications, and RDC Group, in turn, are Oracle database specialists. As a result, Business Connexion can provide end-to-end solutions on Oracle technology and meet all your Oracle-related requirements from performing a business needs analysis, to solution design, innovative procurement options, roll-out, training, change management and first-line support.

Business Connexion is the single point of accountability for the implementation and performance of the complete Oracle stack, from applications to storage. To meet the

Companies are increasingly prioritising business intelligence, big data and analytics to make them more competitive and agile to counteract the impact of disruptors entering the market. They need to be innovative to remain competitive and find more cost-effective ways to deliver on traditional technology requirements. The Oracle product suite, together with Business Connexion’s other value-adds such our data centres and domain expertise in industries such as retail, financial services, public sector and telecommunications, strengthens our capability to deliver a complete solution. As part of the Telkom Group, we have the ability to deliver solutions right down to the network layer, making Business Connexion a truly end-to-end Oracle solutions provider.

For enquiries contact Deon Else; Oracle Line of Business Manager: Business Connexion; Deon.Els@bcx.co.za

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Let Girls Learn Oracle aids the First Lady’s global initiative

JUPITER PeopleSoft Campus – The Academic Management Software for Universities Jupiter is an Angolan Company with 15 years of experience in IT development and our focus is to expand the PeopleSoft Campus in partnership with Oracle throughout the African market.

Peoplesoft Campus is the worldwide leading solution used with thousands of campuses, developed specifically for higher education institutions.

Campus Solution is academic management software dedicated for universities, teachers and students, and aims to improve, modernise and to make the entire institutional system more agile and efficient.

COMMUNICATED IN a recent announcement from the White House by the First Lady, Michelle Obama, it was revealed that more than $20 million would be spent in new commitments to the US Government’s Let Girls Learn initiative.

Speaking at the United State of Women Summit dinner, the First Lady called upon organisations around the country to support adolescent girls’ education in order to provide more than 62 million girls around the world who are out of school with the opportunity to receive an education.

Inevitably having overtones with Oracle’s work in Africa – and indeed the rest of the world in terms of social enrichment and capacity building – the Company is now heavily involved as part of these commitments as a one of numerous organisations binding together to ‘Let Girls Learn’.

“Oracle is committing to invest more than $3 million in direct and in-kind funds over the next 12 months to promote and support educational opportunities for adolescent girls around the world,” Oracle Co-CEO, Safra Catz stated. “Under this Let Girls

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Learn commitment, Oracle Academy, Oracle Women’s Leadership (OWL) communities, Oracle’s Diversity & Inclusion Programme, and Oracle Volunteers will offer more than 65 direct educational events and support conferences, summer computing camps and codefests for girls; reaching more than 55,000 students around the globe and inspiring them to explore and pursue opportunities in STEM fields.

“The Oracle Education Foundation and Oracle Volunteers will teach girls coding, electrical engineering and project management through four immersive girls-only workshops.”

In Africa specifically, Oracle is also planning to expand the work of its Oracle Academy Programme in Egypt by making an additional investment of almost $1 million in resources and services over the next four years. The investment will occur “as part of a new partnership with the Ministry of Education in Egypt to expand computer science education for girls in nine newly developed STEM schools”, Catz continued.

“These schools, also supported by USAID, will provide three years of paid secondary education for each girl.”

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As this implementation is a private cloud solution, it allows constant availability, thus reducing considerably the presence in place of users (more specifically the students) for any academic administrative matter; and allows a secure access to grades, absences and any relevant information anywhere you are.

The main competitive advantage is the adaptability to all sizes and categories of institutions, and the capacity of providing real-time access information to university teachers, staff and students.

If you are looking to align the objectives with institutional strategy; to improve the decision making through more reliable, responsive and integrated academic information.

If you are looking to expand the possibilities of remote self-service for students, teachers and administrators while decreasing the demand for physical personal assistance.

And if you are really looking for the qualitative growth of the institution, Campus is your way forward.

T +244 222 679 500 E contacto@jupiter.co.ao

www.jupiter.co.ao

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Innovation Hubs and the Developer Community Ensuring ecosystem readiness via specialised talent growth IT’S UNDENIABLE that Africa needs a stronger focus on the IT ecosystem, and Oracle has worked extensively in recent years to facilitate such skills development and technological innovation alongside its partners.

Enabling workforces to use Oracle products and solutions in order for them to build a broader business, Oracle has long recognised how challenging it can be to hone such

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talent in a young population; with the realisation that once it is achieved, the possibilities are boundless.

“There isn’t one organisation that can provide employment for all the youth, so one way is to encourage entrepreneurs to help address the challenge; and technology is a great way to channel creativity and create employment for themselves as well as others,” Cherian Varghese, sub-

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Saharan Africa Cluster Leader states.

“We have seen some great examples through the work we do with Innovation Hubs on the continent.”

Engaged with almost 20 of these hubs in total – bridging Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Botswana, Ghana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Congo Brazzaville and Uganda – the idea is to drive homegrown ‘made in Africa’ technology solutions; an initiative that has been all too evident on the continent under a number of different guises.

“We have delivered more than 20 sessions on Java and Oracle technologies via our tech experts, reaching almost 500 developers from iHub (Kenya), kLab (Rwanda), CcHub & Digital Peers (Nigeria), Mobile Web Ghana and iSpace (Ghana), BIH (Botswana), BongoHive (Zambia) and Teknohama (Uganda),” Varghese says.

“We also sponsored the Enterprise Technology Challenge of CC-Hub to grow the adoption of Oracle

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Technologies for creating enterprise solutions by Nigerian software developers with more than 60 local developers participating.”

Similar partnerships included organising the showcase session of ‘Kenyan Sign Language’ – a Java-based application – as well as i.Sec, Simaroio and Hotel Management Software at various Oracle-arranged opening events to further encourage the new technologies being developed for the wider domain.

Meanwhile, as many as 55 developers have been hosted as part of a roundtable with Java and Oracle Public Cloud and Oracle Technologies in Kenya to further highlight the most modern and key innovations.

“We also offered our partners in

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In the past year alone: the Oracle Partner hubs delivered nine training sessions in Kenya and Nigeria on Oracle applications to 54 partner employees...

Nigeria and Kenya a wide variety of instructor-led trainings within Partner Training Programmes and access to the Partner Academy in Oracle’s Partner Hub to increase partner competencies so they can architect, sell, and implement Oracle solutions profitably,” Varghese notes.

“In the past year alone: the Oracle Partner hubs delivered nine training sessions in Kenya and Nigeria on Oracle applications to 54 partner employees; supported the completion of 21 migrations on Oracle DB after delivering 254 ISV migration centre activities, workshops, one-to-ones and webinars; and conducted 31 enablement and engagement activities for 329 people.”

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Oracle and the CIO A new reality in rethinking the cloud “CLOUD IS coming of age. It’s no longer just a tool for business efficiency; it’s necessary for the speed and agility required to compete in the digital economy,” offers Abdul Rahman Al Thehaiban, Senior Vice President – Middle East, North-South Africa, Turkey and Central Asia, Oracle.

“Until recently, CIOs have considered cloud deployments in terms of public versus private cloud merits, but the answer needs to be both. It’s a new way of thinking, and a new model for enterprise IT; creating an application delivery engine that drives digital transformation.”

According to recent IDG Connect and Harvard Business Review research studies, nearly three-quarters of businesses now concede that cloud

Abdul Rahman Al Thehaiban, Senior Vice President – Middle East, North-South Africa, Turkey and Central Asia, Oracle

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deployments enable them to better retain customers and an even more telling 90 percent believe that cloud facilitates faster innovation. More than 70 percent of enterprises plan to deploy more private cloud services in the future and 68 percent of them plan to deploy more hybrid cloud services as well; all pointing towards a general trend being realised in Arica at present, and indicative of cloud’s – as Al Thehaiban says – “coming of age”.

The trend is clearly a positive in the digitally-driven age, but it also points towards a much more significant step being made, in terms of the allayment of concerns and fears over companies’ initial move to cloud computing.

Issues of security, transitions, employee engagement and operational readiness are being countered as companies like Oracle educate businesses of all sizes on the exact effects and uses, and CIOs are more clued up than ever about how to utilise cloud in their companies.

“Nearly three-quarters of respondents say that it’s important for on-premise and public cloud applications to have the same user experience, but 60 percent of business leaders still cite the need to manage multiple IT systems in their business as a barrier to cloud adoption,” Al Thehaiban explains. “There are indications that cloud is (overall) driving more IT/LOB collaboration but there is still a way to go. Only 50 percent of businesses say their IT department supports the planning or implementation of public cloud applications.

“Overall, the figures suggest that the CIO’s role is more important than ever in coordinating multiple architectures and effectively

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ADAPT IT

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dapt IT is an innovative information technology (IT) services and specialised solutions provider, delivering IT solutions to clients in 38 countries worldwide. Adapt IT has formed a strategic partnership with Oracle over the past 20 years in order to provide our clients with robust, reliable and enduring IT solutions.

Our alliance with Oracle allows our clients to utilise the latest technology to exceed their needs while remaining on the leading edge of innovation; thus combining our deep industry knowledge, useful tools, powerful research expertise and innovative thinking to ignite growth.

T +27 31 514 7300 E dbn.sales@adaptit.co.za

www.adaptit.co.za

ISON TECHNOLOGIES

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SON Technologies, the IT systems’ integration arm of iSON Group, is increasing its market recognition and leadership by offering comprehensive and powerful solutions geared towards meeting clients’ myriad objectives.

Operating across the Middle East, Africa and India, iSON has business consulting and IT specialists continuously building and upgrading their clients’ systems to “competitive advantage status”.

As an Oracle Platinum Partner, a certification that only a handful of Oracle implementers have in the Company’s operational regions, iSON Technologies showcases proven and demonstrated experience in providing software solution, consulting, implementation and support services to all the sectors for furthering their business initiatives.

http://bit.ly/1YfvTDx

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DELIVERING

EXCELLENCE IN

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE TO BUSINESSES ONSHORE IN AFRICA

www.isongrp.com

25 COUNTRIES | 10000+ EMPLOYEES

5%

OF OUR STAFF ARE FROM

MARGINALISED

SECTIONS

48%

99.5%

OF OUR STAFF ARE

WOMEN

OF OUR STAFF ARE

AFRICAN

NATIONALS

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communicating the benefits of cloud deployments to the wider business. In fact, according to the IDG study, more than 90 percent of businesses believe that the cloud will enable IT to focus on areas that will deliver business value.”

A new reality

All of this represents a new reality being accepted in Africa where – while there are still some lingering concerns among some – the majority are now understanding the benefits of cloud and how it can impact every industry across every geography.

Investments in cloud are subsequently growing as businesses seek heightened speed and agility across operations and begin to embrace a wider digital transformation.

“Cloud models are becoming an imperative to deliver compelling applications across the enterprise, better workflow, deeper analytics and insights and reduced costs,” Al Thehaiban states. “We are moving towards a future where IT will be considered and measured as an application delivery engine for the business, with imperatives around time-to-market, agility, stability, and ultimately economics.

“Cloud is THE next operational model for the enterprise IT architecture, and in this context, IT leaders have a unique opportunity to redefine the enterprise IT model around cloud concepts and play a key consultative role in showing the business what is possible in this new world.”

The CIO consequently has a key role to play in two key transformations; the business transformation to a digital business model, and an IT transition to a cloud-based model. Ultimately, the optimisation of both these facets will ensure a leaner, more agile use of IT to help organisations compete in the new digital economy – for both public and private participants – with Oracle on hand to facilitate the ongoing revolution.

“In an ideal world, private and public cloud would be consistent in almost every aspect, with IT and lines of business collaborating to decide the right mix of cloud resources without needing to adapt between the two,” Al Thehaiban concludes. “At Oracle, in association with Intel, we’re already there; offering a rich, functional public cloud oriented towards enterprise IT, combined with functional equivalents deployable in private clouds and even a public cloud model on-premises.”

Cloud is coming of age: It’s no longer just a tool for business efficiency; it’s necessary for the speed and agility required to compete in the digital economy. Until recently, CIOs have considered Cloud deployments in terms of Public versus Private Cloud merits, but the answer needs to be both. It’s a new way of thinking—and a new model for enterprise IT, creating an application delivery engine that drives digital transformation.

WHERE ARE WE IN THIS JOURNEY? MOST ENTERPRISES TODAY UNDERSTAND THE BENEFITS OF CLOUD

over

73 %

90 %

of businesses say Cloud deployments enable them to better retain customers

of them believe that Cloud enables faster innovation

CLOUD INVESTMENT IS GROWING AT PACE, AND IS EXPECTED TO KEEP GROWING

68%

71%

of them plan to deploy more hybrid Cloud services

of enterprises plan to deploy more Private Cloud services

THERE IS A GROWING UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PRIVATE AND PUBLIC CLOUD RESOURCES NEED TO WORK TOGETHER

nearly THREE QUARTERS over

2/3

of businesses already have applications running on their premises that access information in Public Clouds

say it’s important for on premise and Public Cloud applications to have the same user experience

...BUT TODAY, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CLOUDS ARE FUNDAMENTALLY INCOMPATIBLE THE INCONSISTENCY IN ARCHITECTURE AND PURPOSE CREATES SILOS AND IS OFTEN A BARRIER TO CLOUD ADOPTION

only

60 %

50 %

of business leaders cite the need to manage multiple IT systems in their business as a barrier to Cloud adoption

of businesses say their IT department supports the planning or implementation of Public Cloud applications

82% say IT standardisation is most critical for building a successful Cloud deployment

IT AND THE BUSINESS INCREASINGLY NEED TO WORK TOGETHER TO ALIGN CLOUD INVESTMENTS CLOUD COMPUTING IS ALREADY DRIVING THIS SORT OF COLLABORATION, BUT THERE’S SOME WAY TO GO

nearly

1/2

40%

51%

of businesses say they believe Cloud adoption has increased IT/Business collaboration

say that planned Cloud implementations are now formally evaluated by joint IT/line-of-business decision-making

say they have governance policies in place to ensure IT/LoB collaboration in the deployment of Cloud applications

CIOS HAVE AN UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD THIS PROCESS, AND SHOW THE WAY FORWARD

over

90 %

of businesses believe that the Cloud will enable IT to focus on areas that will deliver business value

HOW DO WE MAKE IT HAPPEN? In an ideal world, Private and Public Cloud would be consistent in almost every aspect with IT and line of business collaborating to decide the right mix of Cloud resources without needing to adapt between the two.

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At Oracle, in association with Intel®, we're already there--offering a rich, functional Public Cloud oriented towards enterprise IT, combined with functional equivalents deployable in Private

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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT:

Kenya Revenue Authority Oracle creates the best-fit solution to handle vast amounts of tax data IN ORDER to handle the vast amounts of data from each tax department and better trace tax leakages, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) implemented Oracle Exadata and Exalytics hardware, as well as Platform as a Service (PaaS) for public sector cloud to integrate data from all its existing systems.

It is expected that this solution will lead to a significant increase in tax collections.

“KRA was looking to increase its tax collections and seal all tax leakage areas by mining its expansive data. Oracle had the best-fit solution, references and product depth to meet the requirements KRA was looking for. The fact that Oracle had a Kenya office showed there was a great commitment from

The fact that Oracle had a Kenya office showed there was a great commitment from the firm to invest and support local organisations

the firm to invest and support local organisations,” says George Muraguri, Deputy Commissioner of ICT at KRA. For Oracle Kenya, the requirement clearly spelled opportunity for Oracle Tax Analytics; a purpose-built, prepackaged world-class solution that promised to save KRA significant development and design time.

In February, 2016, Oracle and the Kenya Revenue Authority signed a deal covering Oracle Tax Analytics (PSRM-A), Oracle BI Suite Foundation, Oracle Database EE with Options, Endeca Server and Oracle Data Integration Enterprise; as well as the aforementioned Exadata and Exalytics engineered systems.

To accomplish its goals, KRA was able to leverage industry expertise

from the Oracle PartnerNetwork – through Verve KO – in partnership with Bring Consulting and Intrasoft International.

Representing the first tax analytics deal and first public sector cloud deal in East Africa among other significant milestones, the implementation is currently ongoing and represents a poignant contribution towards fulfilling Kenya’s Vision 2030; collecting sufficient tax to fund the country’s transformation. “In terms of lowering the total cost of operation, it is expected that each tax department will be able to target a bigger team of taxpayers because they will receive more intelligent information on where tax leakages are occurring,” explains Muraguri.

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Oracle and the CFO The frontline of innovation

BRITEHOUSE

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t Britehouse we partner with customers on their digital transformation journey by addressing key touch points, operations, logistics and supply chain.

We create coherence across websites, branches, contact centres, sales teams and operations; all backed up by agile ERP, automated processes, big data, analytics, cloud and enterprise mobility applications.

We partner with SAP, Oracle and Microsoft and complement these with our own products. We use various methods and techniques to implement the technology faster, allowing customers to extract value from their solution sooner.

T +27 11 575 0200

www.britehouse.co.za

IN TODAY’S competitive business landscape, companies must digitise their finance organisations to adapt to the certainty of constant change.

No longer a process-focused on cost authority, today’s CFO must leverage real-time analytic insights from cloud technologies to improve business performance as well as financial and operational efficiency.

Oracle’s Country Leader for Nigeria, Adebayo Sanni has seen firsthand how the role of the CFO has grown in significance in the digital age, with more technologies on-hand than ever before to facilitate the lifeblood of all successful enterprises; their finances.

Now an important player in gaining competitive advantage, the CFO must influence the bottom line by freeing funds in order for a business to innovate and grow.

Oracle’s recent research explores how closer collaboration between the CFO and the CIO can streamline

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business efficiencies. Loïc Le Guisquet, President, Oracle comments: “Finance systems which have been heavily customised over the years are reaching their breaking point. For the many businesses rethinking their strategies to stay ahead of growing competition, being able to speed up innovation and adapt quickly to change are at the top of the corporate agenda.

Finance should not be the ball and chain holding the company back from progress. It should be the engine pushing it forward.

“Rather than adding complexity to already-overloaded systems, companies are beginning to see the advantage of running their finance applications in the cloud and simply configuring these to suit their needs. As the nerve centre of the organisation, the finance department lies at the junction of all these relationships. Their unique oversight of the business has made CFOs and

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QUOMODO SYSTEMS

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s an Oracle Gold Partner, our service offerings enable us to secure a competitive advantage over other players in the industry.

With our years of experience in the industry, we can provide a viable and robust system that serves your requirements.

Our solutions and services include: • Enterprise data center solutions • Converged network solutions • Converged telephony applications • Security and safety solutions • Visual communication solutions • Audiovisual solutions and products • Infrastructure solutions • Microsoft Dynamics solutions • Custom development solutions • Content management solutions • Printing and imaging solutions

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Your one stop shop for all IT solutions.

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In an ever changing and constantly evolving world, our services are continuously reviewed to reflect the best ways in enhancing your business operations. Broadly categorized into hardware, software and training, we are sure that your business needs are accurately taken care of with our varying offers.

No matter what products or services of ours you choose, you can be assured of first class service 24 hours a day.

That’s our ambition.

(234)8034989268, (234)8066033180 sales@ Quomodosystems.com www.quomodosystems.com

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their teams instrumental in helping the boardroom achieve its vision for the future.”

Oracle has responded accordingly through offering bespoke ERP for companies of all sizes – although especially applicable in the SME category – in the realisation that in order to expand smartly, quickly and reliably, a legacy system needs to be put in place.

Inevitably, these ERP offerings have also been integrated into the Company’s human capital management services as well, ensuring Oracle can deliver a “market-leading integrated cloud that transforms your finance and HR functions, enabling your business to power forward in the future”.

One partner to have benefitted from this offering is Jupiter, who has driven project profitability and customer satisfaction with end-to-end financial and project workflows in the cloud.

Senior Project Manager for Jupiter, Ricardo Marques states: “Deploying Oracle ERP Cloud is a turning point in how we do business. We have revamped all internal workflows to increase productivity, lower costs, and improve controls; and also gained the ability to generate revenue by helping our clients use technology as a key enabler of business growth.”

Adebayo Sanni has seen firsthand how the role of the CFO has grown in significance in the digital age

Oracle’s cloud finance technology enables a more strategically focused organisation. With an eye toward eliminating inefficiencies and reorienting the organisation, finance can drive the business forward as a trusted partner among other functional leaders

Strategically focused

In building the next generation of finance function, the CFO in general will play a key role in creating value through digital technologies such as those provide by Oracle.

Sanni says: “Oracle’s cloud applications for finance provide real-time analytic insights so the CFO can drive strategies related to the economy, the market, competitors and customer preferences. With actionable insights, finance can simplify the billing process, and gain insights into customer data and brand reputation.

“Oracle’s cloud finance technology enables a more strategically focused

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organisation. With an eye toward eliminating inefficiencies and reorienting the organisation, finance can drive the business forward as a trusted partner among other functional leaders.”

Perhaps more uniquely than at any other role within the C-level domain, the CFO is positioned with the power to transform an entire business, with the implications of introducing ERP technologies directly affecting a company’s fiscal make-up, as opposed to simply the processes, employees or technologies that drive revenues.

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As such Oracle ERP Cloud is helping numerous global businesses to modernise their finance organisations, support rapid growth and ensure the security of their data.

“No longer bogged down by manual accounting processes and systems that consume valuable resources, Oracle’s cloud suite for finance allows CFOs to focus on proactive risk management,” Sanni concludes. “Their awareness of significant forces of change and the use of performance measures aligned with valuation put the CFO on the frontline of innovation.”

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Netcom Information Systems Limited One of the leading consultancy firms in East African Region. ww

Professional Services SISTEC provides high quality services, in accordance with best market practices, to help increase the value chain and performance of its customers.

Working with important partners such as Oracle and others, we merge new technology solutions with existing IT infrastructures, provide upgrades to critical applications, and find better ways to manage data storage.

From strategy development through implementation and management, SISTEC Professional Services offers an expert support for every major project phase.

SISTEC is currently working with Oracle to develop specialised services for banking support. www.sistec.co.ao T: (+244) 222 325 350

w.netcom.co .ke

Netcom’s is a one-stop-shop for consultancy services with high quality products and services. All our services are a great value for money.

The services offered encompass general resource management, telecommunications projects planning & management, information systems, strategic planning at both corporate & ict levels, general & ict project management, monitoring & evaluation, organizational business analysis, market research, computer network design, tender document preparation & evaluation, network implementation, applications software design, development & operational support, applications design, development implementation & maintenance.

T 0254-722-385765 / 0254-775-974008 E netcom@netcom.co.ke

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Oracle and the CMO Enabling modern marketing “THE ROLE of the CMO is far more complex and critical than at any point in history. Today’s CMO is responsible for reaching far beyond traditional marketing activities and is increasingly responsible for managing digital initiatives and the overall customer experience. To be successful in this new role, the CMO needs to be able to quickly and easily embrace the opportunities that modern digital technologies present to deliver individualised customer experience.”

These are the words of Gilbert Saggia, Oracle’s Country Leader in Kenya, who

has overseen the implementation and refinement of the Company’s offering to customers such as Kenya Airways in recent years; via an increasing acknowledgement of the importance of creating a positive customer experience through digital technologies.

The ability to produce a customisable, bespoke and, as Saggia emphasises, “individualised” approach through these technologies ensures a measurable addressing of a company’s marketing plan and resultant customer experience in real time, instilling three key principles throughout the process; completion, simplification and empowerment.

Complete

“Oracle enables CMOs to quickly and easily embrace the opportunities that modern digital technologies present,” Saggia says. “As a result, they are equipped to deliver individualised customer experiences and demonstrate the measurable business impact of marketing activities.

“With Oracle, CMOs can differentiate their brands, improve experiences, enhance loyalty and drive measurable results across all channels, touchpoints and interactions by moving seamlessly across the full spectrum of marketing, sales, service and social tools.”

A modern customer experience is tantamount to an optimum customer experience, and this applies throughout sales, marketing delivery and service. Not only vital from a trend-adherence perspective, it also goes a long way in addressing one of business’ key challenges at present, with executives and agencies under increasingly more pressure to introduce such fundamental changes in this area to counter the barriers that exist in blocking the close collaboration that all groups need in order to succeed.

Simplified

Gilbert Saggia, Oracle’s Country Leader in Kenya

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A Forbes Insight global survey and report emphasises that a checklist for improved collaboration must comprise closer communication and information sharing, as well as enhanced training and professional development; all compounded by new technologies and services to facilitate new incentives.

“New research reveals how brands and agencies are overcoming the collaboration roadblocks that get in the way of engaging customers and launching targeted marketing campaigns,” the report explains.

From Oracle’s perspective, this can

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only be achieved by balancing the most advanced of technologies with the most simple of outcomes.

Saggia adds: “Oracle helps CMOs reduce complexity and master the science of data-driven marketing by bringing together the most advanced digital marketing and customer experience management technologies.

“By eliminating the complexity presented by disparate data, siloed teams and rapidly expanding channels, Oracle enables marketers to successfully move beyond traditional marketing activities and manage overall digital and customer experience initiatives.”

Empowered

Forbes also revealed that 36 percent of organisations admit to not being highly effective when collaborating with brand or agency partners to translate a marketing vision into a tangible programme; a concerning statistic that Oracle is also addressing through the principle of empowerment.

Effective collaboration and subsequently empowered business relationships that come about as a consequence of easier monitoring, honed measurability and heightened integration transcend into the ability to capitalise on customer data and analytics; to more simply manage and update marketing strategies; to implement successful cross-channel marketing programmes; and to formulate more effective strategies on an international scale.

Saggia concludes: “Oracle empowers marketers to leverage innovation as it happens through instant access to a digital marketing ecosystem of best-of-breed marketing apps and direct data integrations.

With an open framework that connects a marketer’s data, apps and media, Oracle enables marketers to take advantage of their current marketing technology and be ready for tomorrow’s innovations.”

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BRANDS AND AGENCIES LOOK

BRANDS AGENCIES LOOK TO CLOSERAND COLLABORATION FOR TO CLOSER COLLABORATION FOR IMPROVED MARKETING SUCCESS New research reveals how brands and agencies are overcoming the collaboration IMPROVED MARKETING SUCCESS

roadblocks that get in the way of engaging customers and launching targeted marketing campaigns

New research reveals how brands and agencies are overcoming the collaboration roadblocks that get in the way of engaging customers and launching targeted marketing campaigns

48%

A MAJORITY OF BRAND AND AGENCY

48%

EXECUTIVES SAID THEIR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES HAVEAND CHANGED A MAJORITY OF BRAND AGENCY

SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE PASTAND TWO YEARS EXECUTIVES SAID THEIR ROLES

RESPONSIBILITIES HAVE CHANGED

UNFORTUNATELY, CHANGE IS CHALLENGING 48% report that evolving roles make

UNFORTUNATELY, it harder to collaborate with their CHANGE CHALLENGING marketingIScounterparts 48% report that evolving roles make it harder to collaborate with their marketing counterparts

SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS

TOP FIVE ROADBLOCKS TO CLOSER COLLABORATION 1

2

3

4

5

to help 1results gauge program

for fully 2opment utilizing market-

3requirements in each of our

Not enough effectiveness reporting of results to help gauge program effectiveness

Lack of training ing technologies and skill development for fully utilizing marketing technologies

Addressing Organizational global markets sharing different silos that inhibit requirements communications in each of our and information global markets BUT THE sharing

Not enough Lack of training Addressing Organizational Ineffective TOP FIVE ROADBLOCKS TO CLOSER COLLABORATION reporting of and skill develdifferent silos that inhibit or outdated

36%

BREAKDOWNS LEAD TO SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES

Ineffective or outdated technology

PAYOFF IS HUGE

Executives say more effective collaboration will impact efforts to:

BREAKDOWNS

36% admit that their organizations aren’t highly effective when collaborating with TO SERIOUS brandLEAD or agency partners to translate a marketing vision into a targeted, crossCONSEQUENCES channel program

36%

4communications 5technology and information

36% admit that their organizations aren’t highly effective when collaborating with brand or agency partners to translate a marketing vision into a targeted, crosschannel program

PAYOFF

• Capitalize on customer data and analytics

BUT THE IS HUGE • Create/update marketing strategies

Executives saysuccessful more effective collaboration • Implement cross-channel willmarketing impact efforts to: programs Formulate • •Capitalize oneffective customermarketing data and strategies analytics across global marketing markets strategies • Create/update

• Implement successful cross-channel marketing programs

effective marketing strategies A CHECKLIST FOR• Formulate IMPROVED COLLABORATION across global markets Increase executive focus on these areas to promote closer communications and information sharing Enhance training and professional development

new technology and services to facilitate collaboration A Implement CHECKLIST FOR IMPROVED COLLABORATION Realign existing incentives and updating existing ones

Increase executive focus on these areas to promote closer Revise contracts and SLAs to include expanded collaboration requirements communications and information sharing Enhance training and professional development Implement new technology and services to facilitate collaboration LEARN MORE

BY DOWNLOADING:

“The Age ofRealign Brand, existing Agency & Customerand Collaboration: 4 Keys to Success in incentives updating existing ones Translating Marketing Visions into More Engaged Customers”

Revise contracts and SLAs to include expanded collaboration requirements

Based on a January 2016 survey of more than 250 marketing executives in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

LEARN MORE BY DOWNLOADING: “The Age of Brand, Agency & Customer Collaboration: 4 Keys to Success in Translating Marketing Visions into More Engaged Customers”

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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT:

Kenya Airways Julie Mandu, Customer Care Manager, Kenya Airways “KENYA AIRWAYS has deployed four Oracle Cloud customer experience modules; the Marketing Cloud, the Source Cloud, the Service Cloud and the Customer Data Hub. Kenya Airways is the pride of Africa and one of the leading African airlines. The best thing about the cloud system is, because the apps are three integrated systems, they’re going to help us get a unified voice and will help us to create the demand of the guests.

Through the Marketing Cloud we’re able to market to the right guests at the right time with the right product.

Through the Customer Data Hub we are able to connect with the guests through the marketing cloud directly by creating campaigns, and this can then reside within the master data hub.

Oracle Service Cloud has enabled us to get better service feedback through the website where we have a customer portal. And this helps in the turnaround time of servicing the customer.

For the Oracle Source Cloud we are expecting one network process management and visibility across the value chain of the revenue coming in. We are also able to track what our partners are doing in terms of our business relationships with them. We also now have one unified process across the network which can be viewed by all, from the CEO to the Sales Executive.

We chose the cloud because it is very accessible and also quite economical and very secure in terms of our data management.”

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Julie Mandu, Customer Care Manager, Kenya Airways

Through the Marketing Cloud we’re able to market to the right guests at the right time with the right product

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Oracle and the CHRO Modern HR in the cloud IN ORDER to fully capitalise on the most modern of technologies and processes – as most businesses are required to do in order to survive – it is equally paramount that each company’s workforce is adaptable and capable enough to embrace such digitisation.

The question of human resource management systems (HRMS) and whether enterprises are attracting a modern workforce via theirs is becoming

more and more apt, and the time to prepare your internal technologies in line with this trend is now.

“HR organisations that don’t have a modern HR and talent strategy are missing out on creating real value for the business,” Kholiwe Makhohliso, Country Leader, Oracle South Africa emphasises. “Modern HR leaders create a great employee experience that serves its customers and the business.”

Modern best practice subsequently increases business agility faster, and with fewer resources; and Oracle is encouraging CHROs to embrace the notion via the cloud, mobile, social, analytics, the internet of things and big data.

“In a world where human capital has become a competitive advantage, CHROs are being tasked to advance business objectives with inadequate systems and tools,” Makhohliso says.

“To recruit and retain the best talent, CHROs are turning to the cloud to achieve the analytical foresight to make smarter decisions, provide richer interactions with employees, and increase productivity.”

Engage: Connecting employees

To engage and connect with employees, Oracle human capital management (HCM) gives employees the opportunity to organise their work life across any device and to take control of their jobs, development and career.

Makhohliso states: “Engaging employees through modern easyto-use intuitive systems that both helps them connect to the business and culture will enable people to be productive and happy at work.”

Modern HR leaders create a great employee experience Kholiwe Makhohliso, Country Leader, Oracle South Africa

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Oracle systems are designed from the ground-up to deliver the full enterprise-wide pictures for the past, present and future of your business

about the impact of your workforce in an easy to understand format,” Makhohliso continues. “Oracle systems are designed from the ground-up to deliver the full enterprise-wide pictures for the past, present and future of your business.”

Connecting and engaging with employees is the first– and most critical – phase of the employer-employee relationship, but is preceded by an equally important hiring phase, and firstly ensuring that a Company is bringing in the right talent for the job.

“Can you find, hire, develop and retain the best talent? A complete talent solution – that’s social and collaborative, mobile and engaging – allows you to understand the best sources of internal and external talent so you can respond quickly to talent needs and execute a forward-looking talent strategy,” Makhohliso highlights.

“With pervasive collaborative capabilities such as social sourcing, social performance, social goal and career management – and social learning embedded in your HR processes – you can drive better peerto-peer communication, facilitate employee collaboration, and enable knowledge sharing in the workforce.”

Inform: Access to meaningful information

Instilling principles such as these requires total access to information meaningful to each company; insight becoming essential across all departments of the workforce.

Makhohliso says: “With big data and predictive and embedded analytics solutions, you can answer complex workforce questions, forecast performance and risks, and empower your staff to make decisions based on real-time data.”

Being able to tackle problems quickly and efficiently with all parties reading from the same hymn sheet contributes greatly to the sustainability of a business, and the positivity fostered within it, while all the time ensuring that there is a process in place for the next batch of talented individuals to fit seamlessly into the ecosystem.

“You need meaningful access to all available data to answer questions

Adapt: Complete and secure personalisation

Creating an HRMS that not only ensures longevity and seamlessness throughout workforce turnover, but that also addresses the individual needs of each employee is no mean feat, but is a target that companies need to strive for; and that Oracle is facilitating.

The ultimate goal from which is to help employees to achieve their own personal goals faster, while fostering greater employee experience as a result of the technologies available to them.

Mobility is once again a key facet of this and where Oracle is aiming as part of its personalisation efforts: “Only Oracle provides modern cloud capabilities that provide you with flexibility to personalise, brand and extend your experience at every layer of the cloud in a secure and safe way; and the ability to upgrade when it makes sense for your business.”

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O R A C L E

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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT:

Cell C (Pty) Ltd

multiple-day classroom courses with Oracle Learn Cloud Service, a comprehensive learning solution that empowers skill development through a centralised training repository and Increasing in-store service levels with cloud learning solutions anytime, anywhere access”, Cell C explains.

FOR MORE than 15 years, The modernity of Oracle’s solutions Cell C (Pty) Ltd has offered its and delivery methods have facilitated competitive range of voice, data a doubling in the number of training and messaging services to more interventions each year in total, leading than 22 million customers across to an anticipated return on investment South Africa, making it one of within only 18 months based solely on the leading providers of its kind the cost reductions achieved across in the country. To ensure it keeps skills development. improving and evolving in line with “[We have] increased performance wider technological trends and management effectiveness with the advancements though, it has formed ability to measure agent and sales a potent sales relationship with consultant knowledge and to identify Oracle; a relationship which has had excellence and knowledge gaps,” positive ramifications throughout the Company continues, “[as well its product portfolio, its employee as] reducing time-to-effectiveness by workforce and its own customers.

Maria Pienaar, Chief Information Officer giving internal and outsourced staff Cell C has long prided itself on the a comprehensive and easy-to-access levels of innovation within its service platform where questions can be range, something which has been posted and answered, rapid searches achieved not only through its own can be performed on questions and internal investments and through keywords, and the lessons learned are being a ‘consumer champion’, stored for quick retrieval.” but also via the extent of strategic Ultimately, Cell C has achieved relationships such as that enjoyed empowerment across its agents and with Oracle Learn Cloud Service. consultants – including those working “With Oracle Learn Cloud Service, in more remote or rural areas – to learning is really flexible, training is ensure it has the technologies and mobile-accessible, and learners can knowledge in place to keep up with share best practices and collaborate its extensive Company growth; and all online. Our staff have become more with a more satisfied employee base knowledgeable, productive, and Carol Wright-Rogers, Executive Head of in-tow. loyal; saving us recruiting costs and Enterprise Support Systems Carol Wright-Rogers, Executive Head generating more revenue,” Maria of Enterprise Support Systems at Cell Pienaar, Chief Information Officer of better use of the overall training C concludes: “We particularly liked the Cell C says. budget by matching the learning ability to extend Oracle Learn Cloud Additional benefits have been preferences of younger staff members. Service to outsourced staff, which is a seen across improved training and From a solutions perspective, perfect fit for our business model. We learning management efficiencies Oracle’s products and services have also have a roadmap for moving all HR throughout the workforce by “improved and streamlined learning applications to the cloud, so Oracle delivering blended learning programmes for customer care agents Learn Cloud Service is a building block programmes to more than 2,000 for our end-to-end HR cloud solution.” call centre agents, while also making and sales consultants by replacing

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OPN Cloud Supporting Oracle’s ambition to become the best enterprise vendor to do business with in the cloud

MUCH OF Oracle’s success in Africa over the years can be attributed to its unparalleled network of partners. In the SADC region alone, the Company saw a 9.7 percent increase in its partner base in the second quarter of 2016 when compared with the previous year.

Accounting for more than 40 percent of Oracle’s global revenue and 80 percent of its global transactions, the partner ecosystem that has subsequently been formed is now an integral facet in response to its equally diversifying and expanding customer base, as Alliance and Channel Director in South Africa, Stefan Diedericks explains: “The Oracle PartnerNetwork

(OPN) programme offers customers a structured approach to differentiate the competencies and capabilities of partners called ‘Specialisation’.

Specialisation is preceded by a partner obtaining distribution/reseller rights for products within a knowledge zone and thereafter obtaining transactions and references within a given period.

“The programme was launched in 2009 in response to our customers becoming ever more diverse and to ensure customers can rely on a trustworthy programme that drives quality, engagement, skills and excellence.”

OPN Cloud

In February, 2016, Oracle launched the latest improvement to its OPN programme that specifically focuses on assisting partners to fast-track their pivot to the cloud. “OPN has evolved to offer new opportunities for partners to transform and accelerate their

The Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) programme offers customers a structured approach to differentiate the competencies and capabilities of partners called ‘Specialisation’ Stefan Diedericks, Alliance and Channel Director, South Africa

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business with Oracle Cloud,” explains Donald Thomas, the Company’s Alliance and Channel Director for Africa. “The new cloud programme, with tiered designations, recognises those partners that engage with Oracle and invest in Oracle Cloud, by offering them incremental and progressive benefits to complement and build on the existing OPN programme levels.

Partners are now able to differentiate their Oracle Cloud expertise and success with customers.”

“Our partners in this region are

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investing and growing their skills and capacities to ensure that they are able to bring the Oracle Public Cloud Services to Africa and assist customers in consuming and deploying these to transform their businesses.”

In-keeping with this rapid growth, Oracle has seen its cloud partners across the continent balloon to more than 150 resell-ready and nearly 50 specialised cloud partners.

Diedericks adds: “Oracle has listened to both its customers and partners in enhancing the Oracle PartnerNetwork

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programme over a number of years by including incentive-based programmes that enable our partners to drive their own growth. In addition, OPN offers a unique Solutions Catalogue that showcases our partners based on unique competitive offerings utilising leading Oracle Technology, but also gives the customer an easy to use portal to find that ideal partner.”

OPN Specialised Programme

Transforming the way its partners develop their businesses, the OPN

Specialised Programme is advancing and modernising its offerings in support of Oracle’s latest technologies within the cloud and software-as-aservice (SaaS) space.

The Programme’s status and brand presence represents a pivotal element in the way in which Oracle goes to market, identifying and highlighting those partners that have differentiated, evaluated and optimised solutions that have been certified and recognised to provide defined value for our customers.

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Moreover, the Programme allows a positive form of differentiation based on a partner’s unique competitive positioning and allows partners to carve out their own niche within the OPN which protects their investment, while allowing customers the opportunity to work with a marketleading organisation.

“One of the latest innovations has been the launch of the Oracle Cloud Marketplace, offering a platform for our channel partners to showcase their applications that interoperate with Oracle Cloud solutions. Applications are formally validated and approved for publishing on the Oracle Cloud Marketplace. Independent software vendors and system integrators can showcase their services and applications that interoperate with Oracle Cloud services across a range of industries and geographic regions,” says Thomas.

Key to Oracle’s success in the cloud era has been its ability to ensure that new business is attracted at a rapid speed and that this new customer

OPN has evolved to offer new opportunities for partners to transform and accelerate their business with Oracle Cloud

Donald Thomas, Alliance and Channel Director, Africa

interest is serviced through Repeatable Cloud Solutions and Fixed Scope Offers that help the customer consume Oracle’s Cloud Services in record time.

Oracle assists our partners by ensuring that such Repeatable Cloud Solutions are showcased to customers on the Oracle Cloud Marketplace and in the Oracle Solutions Catalogue.

Hybrid programmes

Of course, Oracle has not forgotten about its traditional business and has introduced hybrid programmes to help partners grow their hardware business while pivoting to the cloud.

“We have increased local programmes and tailored them specifically to countries and subregions on the continent to ensure that the key messages are taken down to the last mile. During the past year, we have successfully conducted a number of multi-day events, called ‘Spread the Red’ where partners not only learn about the benefits and how to position these new offerings; but via workshops they gain hands-on experience on how to rapidly deploy them as well. We have ensured that every partner has an executable

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cloud strategy as part of their overall business plan,” explains Thomas.

OPN now offers the most comprehensive portfolio of cloud programmes available today. Oracle’s rapid growth and extensive SaaS, PaaS and IaaS cloud portfolio represents an unparalleled opportunity for its partners and customers alike. “We can now equip our highly experienced partners with the tools they need to successfully move their customers to modern business models. This vast partner community includes tens of thousands of implementation experts with transferable skills who can help our customers navigate their transition to the cloud,” Diedericks summarises.

Delivering a final message to Oracle Partners, the pair concludes: “Oracle’s Public Cloud allows our partners exceptional opportunities over the next 12 months to drive their own differentiation and specialisation within the OPN. Whether it be through fast deployment fixed scope offers, or whether it be through launching their own Cloud Apps on the Oracle Cloud Marketplace, the Oracle Cloud creates opportunities for revenue growth for our partners.”

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Cloud Adoption on a Continental Scale

Leapfrog technologies such as cloud are transforming Africa’s digital landscape

AFRICA IS presenting lucrative opportunities for Oracle thanks to ‘leapfrog’ technologies; with the adoption of digital, social and analytics taking centre-stage as part of the cloud transformation.

“Customers in Africa have already embarked on this transformation journey with Oracle. Organisations across the continent are looking at modernising their enterprise applications, simplifying IT, transforming into a digital business and also reducing the overall TCO of enterprise applications,” summarises Arun Khehar, Senior Vice President of Oracle ECEMEA. Oracle Strategy is to offer the complete breadth and depth of enterprise applications across an array of industry verticals in Africa; covering customer experience, human capital management, enterprise resource planning, supply chain management

and enterprise performance management in the cloud.

Oracle already has hundreds of customers in Africa and the Middle East consuming Oracle Cloud Applications; including a large airline in East Africa who has been successfully running Oracle Customer Experience in the cloud for two years and has transformed its customer services using Oracle Cloud.

“Large customers in BFSI, the public sector, aviation, telecoms and professional services represent a small cross-section of those who have already started consuming Oracle Enterprise applications in the cloud. We started this journey about five years ago and we are seeing good traction in Africa for cloud applications,” Khehar details.

While Africa’s private sector exhibits the greatest opportunities for leapfrog technology through the

Arun Khehar, Senior Vice President, Oracle ECEMEA

We started this journey about five years ago and we are seeing good traction in Africa for cloud applications

adoption of cloud applications, Oracle has witnessed tremendous traction across the continent’s public sector, with a number of countries open to adopting modern cloud solutions in their economy.

“The top 10 highest performing economies in Africa are already adopting cloud in both public and private sector organisations,” the Senior Vice President concludes.

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In our 20th anniversary year, I am pleased to say that we have successfully exceeded our growth strategy, ensuring that our historically consistent growth continues into the future. This is reflected in our current capacities and our ability to operate nationally,” says Tollo Nkosi, Umso Construction’s Chief Operations Officer (COO).

“In advancing the same agenda and our intended business growth – increasing our market share, operational efficiency, nurturing talent, increased focus, managing risk and increasing profitability – we have had to restructure the business to gear-up for targeted opportunities.”

Founded in 1996 with a vision to empower black communities – initially placing emphasis on establishing a footprint in the Eastern Cape – Umso has taken significant steps to alleviate skills shortages and build long-lasting customer and business relations. This vision led to the transformation into a prominent Historically Disadvantaged Company (HDC) by the Company’s stakeholders in 2004.

“Over the past two decades, our management philosophy has inspired the flourishing and sustainment of long-lasting customer and business relations by ensuring that we consistently meet agreed requirements across specification, safety, time and cost,” Nkosi notes.

In an economy where the market is highly saturated and increasingly competitive, Umso has adopted a philosophy of continuous improvement that has allowed the Company to diversify its offering in accordance with the customers’ needs and become a multifaceted organisation that can add value to any project, small or large; in the public or private sector. Today, the Company has developed specific

UNCOMPROMISING

QUALIT

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Umso Construction is expecting a strong 20th year thanks to efforts to increase its market share, and to improve productivity and profitability by adopting a philosophy of continuous improvement Writer: Emily Jarvis • Project Manager: Tom Cullum

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TUTUKA ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS CC

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utuka Electrical Contractors CC, founded in 2004, is an Eskom accredited contractor and has vendor numbers with various mining groups in and around Rustenburg and throughout South Africa.

The Company provides diversified electrical services for the mining, commercial, residential and agricultural industries.

Backed by extensive engineering and business skills, together with experience and extensive knowhow, our management and technical teams have the competitive edge and capability to carry out any electrical job with authenticity, good workmanship and pride.

Umso’s recent restructure saw the complete overhaul of its SHEQ policy

expertise in the construction of roads, water and sewer reticulation, concrete structures, bridges and box culverts.

“We have been fervent in conducting business and executing projects with distinct attention to detail, industry excellence and uncompromised quality in a bid to secure repeat business,” the Chief Operations Officer adds.

Safety first

Boasting more than 160 construction equipment assets capable of assisting on a wide variety of construction and civil engineering projects, Umso understands the importance of investing in its machinery and the latest technologies in order to grow its market share. Not only are investments in state-of-the-art equipment a core requirement to remain competitive, but with the ever-increasing fleet size comes a similarly increasing need to

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update safety policies and training procedures.

Complying with the latest agreed and legal requirements, Umso’s recent restructure saw the complete overhaul of its safety, health, environmental and quality (SHEQ) policy. “The management system procedures have been designed to comply with the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001 which we are targeting. It will be an integrated system that will be available on an ERP system, Microsoft Share point, in the

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Tutuka has a Level 7 Grading with CIDB. Tutuka is ISO accredited to 9001, 14001 and 18001 Quality Standards.

near future,” the Company’s SHEQ & Risk Director, Andre van der Merwe says.

Representing a crucial pillar of its continuous improvement philosophy, the SHEQ system is currently in its infancy as Umso puts all the cogs in place to align staff training procedures with the new policy. “Ongoing research and development in this area will result in more effective and formalised Company management systems; including the principles of ‘right first

The management system procedures have been designed to comply with the requirements of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001 which we are targeting

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SABS PVC pipes SABS HDPE pipes SABS steel pipes Waterworks valves and fittings VJ coupling Water meters MH covers & frames

PO Box 14113, West Bank, 5218 2 Quadrant Road, Woodbrook East London, 5218

Fitty Park project

E: motowncentre@gmail.com T: +27 43 736 6320 T: +27 83 231 9284

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time’ and ‘zero deviation’ adopted across all levels of the organisation.

We hope this will result in better cost-control among other internal improvements,” van der Merwe adds.

Further bolstering this is an equally important emphasis on the creation of a pool of qualified technicians and Umso is proud to help provide “deserving underprivileged individuals with valuable skills”. This led to the recent implementation of an internal training programme and registration of the Company’s workshop with the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services (MERSETA) as an approved training facility.

Fleet expansion programme

The sheer size of Umso’s fleet has rapidly generated the need to carry out maintenance and repairs – including scheduled services – in-house. This has resulted in the

The Khi Solar One project, located just outside Upinton in the Northern Cape

The standard set by our workshop operations has made it possible for us to be one of only a handful of companies to be accredited as a fullyfledged service centre by Mercedes Benz...

Rustenberg Bridge

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ongoing training of the Company’s technicians by working closely with all its associated original equipment manufacturers (OEM’s) to keep abreast of the latest technological advancements.

“The standard set by our workshop operations has made it possible for us to be one of only a handful of companies to be accredited as a fullyfledged service centre by Mercedes Benz outside its mainstream dealer network. The benefits of this accreditation are far-reaching, the most notable being the reduced downtime onsite due to a breakdown or a scheduled service,” Nkosi highlights.

Such an uncompromising commitment to quality and adhering to the latest industry standards has enabled Umso to expand geographically and tap into some of South Africa’s projects of national interest; including the world-class Gautrain Project, Gauteng Freeway

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Improvement Project, the new multipurpose pipeline from Durban to Johannesburg and the Coega Development Corporation Industrial Zone Development which will house the new Port of Nqgurha in Port Elizabeth.

“A significant proportion of our market share remains in development projects that are geared towards upliftment of the poor and these include; water supply projects in which more than 3,000 kilometres of pipe work has been installed throughout the country; sanitation projects; and rural road network improvements that also include the earthworks for imported steel bridges. We intend to grow our participation in construction activities within Southern Africa to a notable size as we continue to expand into other markets previously out of our

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reach,” the Business Development Director, Malusi Mngxathi explains.

Enhancing productivity

Despite facing industry challenges brought to the fore by the global commodity crisis, Umso continues to consolidate and improve its internal processes, the outcomes of which can be seen in the quality of the final product.

“Our aims remain unimpeded by any challenges and we ensure that every project is executed with minimal environmental impact, ontime and is of a quality finish. As a HDC, we maintain our vision to be a Company whose purpose and sole existence is embedded in its people, advancement and the delivery of projects to a greater portion of the region,” says Nkosi.

“We continue to invest and improve our management systems and tools to enhance business operations to stay relevant in the marketplace. Our success so far would not be possible without our people, business partners and clients for showing their continued commitment and support. This certainly makes our 20th year of business a milestone to be proudly celebrated,” he concludes.

Fitty Park project

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uilding strategic business partners with highprofile international clients over the past two decades has resulted in a significant number of lucrative growth opportunities for project management firm, Betts Townsend, who have tripled their workload in the past year.

Having delivered the ZAR 1.8 billion flagship Bay West Mall ontime and on-budget at the start of June, 2015, the Company has now turned its attention to East Africa’s booming commercial market, with well-regarded multinational and local names alike driving growth and healthy competition in the region’s retail sector. Seeing the continually growing confidence in its own offering based on exceptional project execution and an ever-growing portfolio, Betts Townsend is feeling the welcome effects of renewed market confidence and subsequent

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the pitfalls and challenges in regional markets.”

Combining the strong entrepreneurial spirit of its founders together with a results-driven continuous improvement strategy has allowed the Company to set the benchmark high and deliver in foreign markets outside its initial South African foothold and capitalise on the emerging middle-class movement in East Africa.

Nairobi foothold

Michael Taylor, Managing Director

international entrants into the African retail and leisure market.

Michael Taylor, Managing Director (MD) of Betts Townsend’s African Interest explains: “International retailers and hospitality firms are taking a shine to East Africa, which is a step in the right direction to increase investor confidence and boost the construction industry from a project funding perspective.

Betts Townsend stands out from the crowd as we are an experienced ‘go-between’ that marries together the right combination of international standards and an understanding of

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Among Betts Townsend’s burgeoning portfolio of African projects in the pipeline this year sits the recently awarded Sarit Centre Phase III refurbishment, for which the Company was appointed as project manager and tenant coordinator by SOMA Properties Ltd in December, 2015.

The MD explains: “This opportunity to work on Kenya’s oldest mall, situated in one of the most prominent development nodes in Nairobi, is extremely exciting and promises to result in an ongoing partnership. The initial two and a half year project will see the Sarit Centre become Nairobi’s largest retail centre, and just five months in we are already beginning the bulk earthworks.”

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STRENGTHENING ITS

East African

Foothold Benefitting from the increasing number of international entrants to the East African real estate market, Betts Townsend continues to grow its foothold and consistently deliver in foreign markets Writer: Emily Jarvis Project Manager: Stuart Parker

I&M Bank head office, Nairobi. Client: I&M Realty

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LAXMANBHAI CONSTRUCTION LTD

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axmanbhai Construction Ltd. is a prominent contractor in East Africa, with more than 60 years of experience in the building, financing and developing major projects. We have a remarkable position in the East African, India and UK construction and property markets.

We have a proven track record and capability to deliver end-to-end construction and property solutions across a broad range of sectors. We are committed to creating structures that endure the test of time, with the integration of the latest sustainable designs and distinctive construction techniques to deliver excellence and quality on all our projects.

T +254 20 2498 623 M +254 721 378 789 E info@laxconke.com

The Hub Karen in Nairobi was recently shortlisted by SAPOA for the most successful shopping centres in Africa award

Athi River Mall in Nairobi marks another project currently in the design phase, promising a blend of local and international retailers and fashion, food courts, offices and an entertainment block. “We were awarded this project off the back of our reputation for excellent delivery and ability to carry out large-scale projects to a high standard, always completing on-time and taking into account the local needs,” he adds.

Aligning with the synergies of high-profile international clients has enabled Betts Townsend to form a series of longstanding alliances and subsequently, the Company hold the position as project manager for some of the most iconic buildings in South Africa, East Africa and Mauritius; including ongoing relationships with more than 10 of the continent’s biggest banks.

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“We don’t just want one-off developments,” says Taylor. “We want to nurture a continued relationship with our clients. One of the ways we have been able to do this in East Africa is with the advent of REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) funds. Investors pool their funds under the REIT umbrella and engage in real estate projects together, with the benefits of property ownership, without the hassle of expenses.”

“We don’t just want one-off developments”

New markets

While Kenya has been a focus for the Company in recent years – as a result of the increased foreign direct investment and mixed-use development opportunities – South Africa remains a market under pressure that faces its own real estate challenges marred by the depreciation of the rand. “South Africa is a different kettle of fish today than it was 10-15 years ago. Much like East Africa, it is very much investor-led and driven by consumer demand but it

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“We want to nurture a continued relationship with our clients”

– Michael Taylor, Managing Director

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60 yearbusilding

in experience wers, High Rise To otels ry H xu Lu , ls o Scho ts, Retail & Apartmen ercial m m outlets, Co dustrial In to gs in Build . ts le out

HEAD OFFICE 1st Floor | Laxcon House | Limuru Road | P.O.BOX 44706 – 00100 G.P.O Nairobi | Kenya Tel: +254 20 2498 623 | Mobile: +254 721 378 789 | Email : info@laxconke.com

I n d i a

Proud to be working alongside Betts Townsend

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MasterPower

Systems Ltd.

Registered Electrical Contractors

WEB Limited is the pioneer and leading sustainable construction consultancy company in the East African Region. We offer highly integrated services for the built environment across the full property and infrastructure lifecycle.

KENYA KENYA KENYA

UGANDA UGANDA UGANDA

KAMPALA MOMBASA KAMPALA KAMPALA MOMBASA MOMBASA P.O. Box 7715 P.O. Box 95864, P.O. Box P.O.7715 Box 7715 P.O. Box P.O.95864, Box 95864, Kampala, Uganda.

Mkomani, Mombasa Kampala, Kampala, Uganda.

Uganda.

Mkomani, Mkomani, Mombasa Mombasa Tel: 0705976976/0774137828/0731976976 Tel: 0705976976/0774137828/0731976976 Tel: 0705976976/0774137828/0731976976 Tel: 0710670384 Tel: +256-006414 566020/030 Tel: +256-006414 Tel: +256-006414 566020/030 566020/030 Tel: 0710670384 Tel: 0710670384 Fax: +254-020-3756280 Fax: +254-020-3756280 Fax: +254-020-3756280 Fax: +256-41-4566040 Fax: +254-41-4470931 Fax: +256-41-4566040 Fax: +256-41-4566040 Fax: +254-41-4470931 Fax: +254-41-4470931 Email: Email: info@masterpowers.com Email: info@masterpowers.com info@masterpowers.com Email: Email: info.ug@masterpowers.com Email: Email: infomsa@masterpowers.com Email: info.ug@masterpowers.com info.ug@masterpowers.com Email: infomsa@masterpowers.com infomsa@masterpowers.com HEAD HEAD OFFICE, NAIROBI HEAD OFFICE, OFFICE, NAIROBI NAIROBI P.O. Box P.O.976-00606 Box P.O.976-00606 Box 976-00606 Narobi,Narobi, Kenya.

Narobi, Kenya.Kenya.

www.masterpowers.com www.masterpowers.com www.masterpowers.com

n Star™ Con ree

tualization tex

Our expertise embodies experiences in internationally acclaimed projects underpinning our goal which is to consistently deliver sustainable tailor made solutions for our clients. WEB Limited is a member of the Kenya Green Building Society, Green Building Council of South Africa and the United States Green Building Council

Uganda G

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MasterPower Systems are pleased and proud to be associated with Betts Townsend

An ISO : 2008, BS OHSAS : 2007 An 9001 ISO An 9001 ISO 9001 : 2008, : 2008, BS OHSAS BS18001 OHSAS 18001 18001 : 2007 : 2007 and ISO Certified Companies and 14001:2004 and ISO 14001:2004 ISO 14001:2004 Certified Certified Companies Companies

www.masterpowers.com KENYA

+254 786 878 071 +254 700 878 071 P.O BOX 414-00625, Nairobi, Kenya www.weblimitedgroup.com

UGANDA

HEAD OFFICE, NAIROBI P.O. Box 976 00606 T: 0705976976 0774137828 0731976976 F: +254 020 3756280 E: info@masterpowers.com

MOMBASA P.O. Box 95864 Mkomani, Mombasa T: 07106703384 F: +254 41 4470931 E: infomsa@masterpowers.com

KAMPALA P.O. Box 7715 Kampala, Uganda T: +256 006414 566020/030 F: +256 41 4566040 E: info.ug@masterpowers.com

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Microsoft head office, Nairobi, Kenya

Interior, Microsoft head office

is a more saturated marketplace which makes proactive project planning and a local understanding all the more important,� Taylor highlights.

Rosebank Mews, a newly incepted commercial development in Johannesburg, is one such project that Betts Townsend plans to proactively manage in order to make sure that it fits in with infrastructure requirements and remains relevant to the local needs for decades to come.

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Athi River Mall, Nairobi

Arena Mall, Kampala, Uganda

City Lodge Hotel, Two Rivers

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country,” notes Taylor.

“The industry wants to see how you deliver in a foreign market; including how you handle procurement, import of materials and so on. Getting these key deliverables right is what drives our strategy; continuously improving in all areas to demonstrate attention to detail, flexibility and agility.”

Aggressive growth

Sarit Centre Phase III

Continuing geographic expansion plans in East Africa, the Company has broken ground in Dar es Salaam for a City Lodge Hotel, constructed in parallel with a further City Lodge Hotel in Kenya; as well as starting construction of Arena Mall in Uganda, and I&M Bank’s new offices in Rwanda and Nairobi for I&M Realty Limited.

“Entering new markets has come naturally as part of our strategy, which focuses heavily on demonstrating that we can execute work streams to continually high standards, no matter the challenges. It’s one thing to come with a readymade portfolio – which all key market players have – but another to secure a strong foothold in a new

In a market that has faced tough challenges, with many projects falling by the wayside or not reaching completion on-time, Betts Townsend is a welcome face that has built a reputation on trust and quality workmanship; two feats that have only been possible thanks to the people behind the Company, and the strengthening of its internal administrative and documentation processes.

Creating experts out of its 100-percent local labour taskforce, Betts Townsend has a strong empowerment and skills development programme as part of its continuous improvement strategy and aptitude for sustainable practices.

“We have spent a lot of time and money investing in our QA/QC documentation to make sure that it was up to the task of delivering a multinational product. We assign resources to make sure that we are prepared to manage a project from the ground-up and offer training and advice to local contractors,” asserts Taylor.

Now that the Company has a good foothold in East Africa, as well as increased access to government and REIT funding, Betts Townsend is targeting an aggressive growth path with the aim to increase its order book by 50 percent over the next year.

“We are extremely proud of how far the Company has come since establishment in South Africa 20 years ago and there is more excitement on the cards going forward that will serve to grow our reach across the continent even further,” the MD concludes.

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Boosting Business through Consolidation s the continent’s oldest multidisciplinary property services Group, Excellerate has remained optimistic in spite of slowing headwinds in many African economies and is keen to identify and quantify new opportunities with the help of its latest consolidation and continuous improvement strategy.

“Even with the concern around China, a major African trade partner that is dominating the big global economic agenda, the sub-Saharan African region is still set for positive growth,” said Marna van der Walt, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Excellerate Property Services (EPS).

Guided by the Company vision to be “Africa’s leading trusted provider of fully integrated, self-performing property related solutions and services, driven by quality, excellence

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Accelerated growth is on the cards over the next two years for property services Group, Excellerate, as it targets new growth opportunities in the continent’s emerging economies Writer: Emily Jarvis Project Manager: Stuart Parker

and forward-thinking”, Excellerate has diversified its offering in line with the growing impetus for infrastructure projects across the continent’s core and emerging economies.

“Sub-Saharan Africa remains rich with untapped opportunities, even in the face of slowing growth due to global economic conditions... An increasing number of sub-Saharan countries are becoming important markets for Excellerate, in addition to our core South African market,” she added.

According to the Company, Excellerate’s portfolio under management has witnessed a 12fold surge over the past decade, reaching highs of R150 million. The Company now has a presence virtually throughout Africa with a footprint in 17 countries; and a continued aptitude for further geographic expansion into

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OTIS

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tis is the world’s leading manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products, including elevators, escalators, and moving walkways.

Founded more than 160 years ago by the inventor of the safety elevator, Otis offers products and services through its companies, in more than 200 countries and territories. Otis is a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.otis.com or follow @OtisElevatorCo on Twitter.

T 011 878 6000 E otissa@otis.com

www.otis.com

EXCELLERATE MANAGES:

340 435 458

SHOPPING CENTRES

INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS

OFFICE PARKS

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North Africa and the Middle East over the next few years.

“Growth is much higher this side of Limpopo... We’re building scale and are far from done. Once we plant a flag in a country we want to achieve a sustainable operation,” the CEO said.

Representing a core division that sits alongside the globally-renowned JHI Properties Ltd, today, Excellerate manages 340 shopping centres worldwide, 435 industrial buildings, 458 office parks and 2,300 buildings; amounting to around 10 million square metres under management.

New horizons

Monitoring the wider industry trends in the property market helped Excellerate make the strategic decision to consolidate its various business divisions under one roof last year; bringing together around 850 employees at its new Johannesburg headquarters, known as “Excellerate on Summit”.

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“This move is exactly the kind of business-boosting strategic property decision we would advise our own clients to make,” commented van der Walt. “In a market where businesses are seeking ways to be both more efficient and more productive, the advent of a large corporate headquarters, which bring together multiple companies or divisions, is on the rise.

“Apart from the obvious rent savings achieved when moving from multiple buildings to a single base it can also be a strategic leap forward that strengthens communications and processes between companies. In our case, it positions Excellerate to work as a true-one-stop property services shop, in every sense.”

Promising benefits to bottomline performance, the Company is more poised than ever to deliver the quality, innovative and cost-effective integrated property solutions – spanning property management,

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Quatro Cleaning Services (Senclean) has 20 years experience in the cleaning industry and offers detailed expertise in professional service delivery in hygiene, hospitality, healthcare, frailcare, pest control and waste management.

BEE LEVEL

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BRANCHES

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South Africa

Quarto Cleaning Services has become a well known leader in the cleaning industry, through hard work and dedication. We believe that our knowledge and proficiency will add value to our clients.

Glen Evert Libertas Office Park, Block E Cnr: The Highway & Libertas Road, Equestria, Pretoria, South Africa, 0184 T: F: E: W:

+27 861 440000 +27 86 2620920 glen@quatrocleaning.co.za www.quatroholdings.co.za

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facilities management, multiintegrated services and individual services – it has built a reputation for.

The new headquarters now function as a Company hub designed to capitalise on new opportunities that can easily leverage the wider Group’s extensive knowledge and experience, technical capabilities and synergies to tap into new markets.

“Another benefit of quality corporate headquarters is that it helps to attract and retain talent at a Company, driving productivity and profitability,” stated the CEO.

The full picture

While some of Africa’s established and developed economies are beginning to take a forward-thinking approach to infrastructure development and planning, this is not the case across many of the continent’s emerging markets; which presents lucrative opportunities for Excellerate to provide value-add services to the local area.

S E R V I C E S

When embarking on new real estate developments, we cannot take for granted the existence of infrastructure needed for crucial electricity, water, roads and other services...

“When embarking on new real estate developments, we cannot take for granted the existence of infrastructure needed for crucial electricity, water, roads and other services; nor can we assume that infrastructure will be provided by anyone but the private property developer,” explained van der Walt.

“When investing in a new property development, it is important to understand that you cannot wait on government to put the required infrastructure in place. For developers,

this means an added role – and added cost – when doing business here.

It also requires a more resourceful approach.”

Although countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Ghana currently contain attractive opportunities for real estate development and investment, it is important to enter with an open mind and understanding of the local area when it comes to infrastructure; including utilities and other vital services.

The CEO highlighted in 2015: “The electricity crisis in South Africa is a clear example that is indisputably detrimental for business. For smaller retailers especially, blackouts result in spoilt stock, the inability to trade and heightened security risk. There are some great examples of innovation taking place to combat this challenge as many shopping centres are turning to alternative energy sources... These initiatives are having a big impact.”

More and more collaborations between property owners and the private sector are taking place in which businesses are tackling infrastructure challenges head-on, together.

Excellerate hopes this model can be applied to other economies across the continent where more emphasis on sustainability is needed.

Value-driven

As a fully-integrated Company, the sustainability buzzword is well-rooted within Excellerate’s internal and

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Marna van der Walt, Excellerate Property Services CEO, was named the ‘Most Influential Woman’ in the building and construction sector in November, 2015

external processes. Reflecting its commitment to the transformation and empowerment of South Africa, the Company proudly achieved a Level 2 B-BBEE rating in 2015, which provides a 125 percent B-BBEE procurement recognition level that contributes a healthy rating to clients’ procurement scorecards.

“Excellerate’s BEE programme is farreaching and broad-based. It benefits many previously disadvantaged individuals. We are committed to corporate social responsibility,” the CEO confirmed.

“Thanks to our fully-integrated self-performing property solutions, Excellerate is in a unique position to create real transformation that is both broad and deep. We strive to

Thanks to our fully-integrated self-performing property solutions, Excellerate is in a unique position to create real transformation that is both broad and deep

directly assist the transformation of society, including economic and social change. This is happening at all levels of our business and across different disciplines and skills.”

With an exemplary track-record and far-reaching portfolio of successfully executed projects backed by a set of refined values and continuous improvement, Excellerate will continue to play a pivotal role in answering the property and infrastructure needs on the continent.

“Africa is growing a world-class property sector that is increasingly respected and exciting. It is an honour to be part of a sector that is driving the development of industrial, business, retail and social infrastructure across the continent,” van der Walt concluded.

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Quality, Reliability, Nutrition BJK Industries has evolved from one client serving one industry, to 53 loyal customers across three key domains, as it also branches out from its South African base to explore unlimited opportunities on the continent Writer: Matthew Staff • Project Manager: Joshua Mann

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ver the next 12 months, BJK Industries will be celebrating its 20th birthday, representing two decades of life at the top of South Africa’s import, manufacturing and distributing sector for the pet nutrition, livestock, pharmaceutical and aqua feed ingredients industries.

Founded in 1997 by the then Tiger Brands Procurement Manager, Brendhan ‘Jock’ Kannemeyer, BJK was formed in collaboration with the globally renowned brand as a specialised outsource procurement agency to manage the influx of specialised essential ingredients to the organisation.

Nearly 20 years on, and BJK’s customer count now stands at 53, highlighting the quick impact that the

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business has made in proving itself on the national and international stage.

October, 2015 has more recently seen 50 percent of Kannemeyer’s Company sold to Leo Group UK, a world-leading producer that specialises in processed animal proteins and fats; the trading and distribution of which being BJK’s main business.

Kannemeyer, the Company’s Chairman says: “Throughout the Company’s evolution the main continuous improvement strategies and philosophies have been around branding, quality, reliability and structured strategic partnerships with our suppliers and customers; and our focus on quality, reliability and nutrition especially ensures that the best ingredients are delivered directly to your factory door, in full, and on time.

“We currently service the pet food, animal and aqua feed manufacturing industries in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, and Nigeria and continue to focus on, and expand into, the sub-Saharan and West African markets.”

Leading supplier

Incepted with a view to source critical ingredients for several leading food processing factories throughout South Africa, the aforementioned geographical expansion that has occurred is testament to the positive reputation consequently formed in the sector, and represents a rapid overall rise to prominence for BJK. “A rapid transformation over the next three years [after 1997] with BJK investing in cold storage facilities, refrigeration equipment,

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LBK PACKAGING

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BK Packaging has been providing world-class packaging products since 1831, and as one of the UK’s leading independent packaging suppliers we offer a full range of flexible packaging products.

Compliant with all EU food packaging regulations, and produced to strict BRC or AIB standards, our experienced sales team are able to offer help and advice on the very best available form of packaging to protect, transport and promote your products globally.

Having built our reputation on a commitment to competitive pricing, quality, service and reliability, we are able to respond quickly and efficiently to meet all of your packaging requirements wherever you are.

LBK Packaging is proud to be associated with BJK Industries.

Developing an international supply network of sustainable products from audited and approved facilities

warehousing and vehicles broadened our scope of activities and entrenched our position as the leading supplier of animal proteins to the pet food manufacturing industry,” the Company recalls. “Our focus on local production and development of an international supply network of sustainable products from audited and approved facilities supported our expansion into the livestock and aqua feed industries across the African continent.

“Our global reach and infrastructure enables us to always meet your pet nutrition and animal feed requirements.”

Continuous and ongoing investments into BJK’s core consideration – the quality of its product range – subsequently manifests in the form of new additions to the range, and substantial investments across its internal infrastructure.

Kannemeyer continues: “BJK has made substantial investments into

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www.lbkpackaging.co.uk

APC EUROPE

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PC Europe, a company of APC Inc, part of the Lauridsen Group, is the world leader in functional proteins for animal nutrition.

Our global reach and infrastructure enables us to always meet your pet nutrition and animal feed requirements

APC is the largest processor of functional proteins, partnering in with the petfood industry in the technological use in wet petfood , as well as in young animal farming nutrition supplying bioactive proteins (spray dried animal plasma).

Its portfolio includes also top quality proteins used in poultry, aquaculture and other intensive livestock production (spray dried animal haemoglobin), as well as a range of agricultural biostimulants used in value added crops.

Partnering for years with BJK as supplier of our products on the African continent.

T +34 938 615 060 E info@apc-europe.com

www.functionalproteins.com

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PROVIDING WORLD CLASS PACKAGING PRODUCTS LBK Packaging is proud to be associated with BJK We specialise in the supply of FIBC’s (Bulk Bags), Paper Sacks, Polythene Sacks and Films, Woven Sacks and more for Food, Animal Feed, Agriculture, Chemicals Recycling and Construction Industries.

With our global network of manufacturing sites and shipping lines we deliver a comprehensive product range with a commitment to price, quality, service and reliability.

Providing packaging solutions since 1831

To discuss your requirement please call our sales team on + 44 (0)151 547 5380 or email sales@lbkpackaging.co.uk www.lbkpackaging.co.uk

A global initiative

Improving the lives of animals worldwide

APC your partner in

animal nutrition

High quality functional proteins

AP C E u ro p e , S . A . | tel. + 3 4 9 3 8 6 1 5 0 6 0 | www. fu n ctio nalpro te ins .co m | info @apc-e uro pe .co m

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high-tech stock management systems, warehousing, distribution vehicles and, most recently, plant and equipment for local manufacture. Through our partnership with Leo Group we have access to the world’s best technology, production and technical assistance.”

Combining all these facets with a dedicated and extensive supply chain management strategy ensures that the optimum internal structure is in place to produce and deliver the best possible array of products on an external level.

Within its pet nutrition division, BJK imports, manufactures and distributes valuable and essential ingredients for the production of dry pet food as well as canned and sachet pet food, promising clients the healthiest and tastiest option each time via Continually sourcing natural ingredients during the procurement phase

Continuous improvement

To achieve such reputable and successful operations across an increasingly wide geographic footprint, the logistics of BJK’s setup have become more and more important over the years, with its head office in Cape Town more of a figurehead for the numerous facilities that follow intow, rather than the one-stop shop it could originally perform as. the natural ingredients it continually sources during the procurement phase.

Within the livestock and aqua feed range, BJK is renowned for its categories across proteins, animal fats, oils and minerals, while finally, in the pharmaceutical ingredient domain – in which BJK has been a partner for many years – “some of our natural ingredients are processed to isolate base elements used in medicinal and dietary requirements, such as the extraction of enzymes from animal organs and omega 3 fish oils”, the Company explains.

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Factories just outside of Johannesburg, Stellenbosch address rendering and plate-freezing facets of the highly refined process, and are compounded by equally important cold storage facilities in Montague Gardens and Pretoria; tonnages included in each rising as demand increases.

“Our primary cold storage business with a capacity of 1,300 tonnes is

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based in Montague Gardens where we have two purpose-built 16-tonne vehicles dedicated to our Western Cape distribution, while our facilities in Pretoria include BJK offices, a 600-tonne cold store, and two warehouses with a total floor space of 1,500 square metres. We have two purpose-built eight-tonne vehicles and a 32-tonne taut liner dedicated to our northern distribution,” the Company details.

Rounding off the logistical efforts is a 700 square metre warehouse in Graaff-Reinet dedicated to the bulk off-loading, bagging and storage of as much as 900 tonnes of BJK proteins; all combining to complement a distribution network which is being updated and added to on an increasingly frequent basis.

“BJK is all about our staff,” Kannemeyer emphasises. We have a staff turnover of less than two percent, an average service of

BJK’s logistical capabilities have become more and more important over the years

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County Fair is a manufacturer and supplier of bone-in fresh and frozen chicken portions, individually quick frozen chicken products as well as a comprehensive value added chicken range.

County Fair is proud to place its chicken products on the plates of thousands of consumers every day.

+27 (0)21 505 8000 www.astralpoultry.com more than six years and BJK senior management and directors boast more than 10 – and in some cases, 15 – years with the Company.

“Training and continuous improvement are high on our agenda and 90 percent of our promotions come from within the Company and we only employ local people.”

Once again, and ultimately, this contributes to the levels of innovation, customer service, flexibility, quality and reliability that Commercial Director, Ricardo Louw lists as being BJK’s key market differentiators, and is also compounded by a Quality Assurance Programme that further guarantees customers the highest standard of ingredients.”

Kannemeyer concludes: “The Company enjoyed 17 years of continuous growth until our first flat year in 2015. We now expect to achieve significant growth and expansion year-on-year for the next three-five years.”

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Joburg KEEPING

Joburg Market has been part of the city’s staple diet for more than a century and continues to thrive across the region as a result of its continuous improvement strategy and commitment to food safety Writer: Matthew Staff Project Manager: Joshua Mann

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Fresh oburg Market (JM) – formerly known as Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market – has long played a critical role in setting the price barometer for the fresh produce industry in South Africa, representing a “huge, sprawling marketplace that swarms with people from the early hours of the morning”, and with a clear strategy in place to uphold this influence long into the future.

Comprising 40 percent of the national fresh produce market (FPM) in terms of both volume and turnover, the Company is the only FPM accredited by the South African National Accreditation System; one of many accolades which instils a sense of responsibility within the market that few can parallel.

“The Company is 100 percent owned by the City of Johannesburg (COJ) Metropolitan Municipality. It was created in terms of the provision for alternative

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delivery mechanisms as embodied in the Municipal Systems Act and became a private Company wholly owned by the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in 2000.

It was later converted into a stateowned Company in line with the implementation of the Companies Act of South Africa,” Acting CEO, Josiah Mazibuko explains. “[Over the years] the Company has rigidly adhered to its mandate and core business of providing and managing world-class facilities for the fresh produce markets Industry, while remaining agile and responsive to market industry trends.”

With significance spanning beyond SA borders and into the wider SADC region also, JM continues to operate a comprehensive and integrated trading system optimising the latest technologies in order to improve its yields and tonnages year-on-year.

Arguably its most significant differentiator though is its identity and set of principles; philosophies that have led the Company to the success it has achieved so far, and is set to continue to achieve over the coming years.

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“The strategy of the organisation deserves special mention as it defines the route that Joburg Market will be pursuing moving forward,” Mazibuko continues. “The Company is mandated to manage and operate a market facility through the provision of world-class facilities and complementary services to the fresh produce industry. This will include the provision and management of profitable facilities and services for the distribution of fresh produce; ensuring a competitive trading platform for fresh produce trading; enabling market access, sustainable availability and affordable fresh produce; and ensuring food safety and quality standards thus promoting healthy lifestyles.”

Ultimately, this will contribute to JM’s vision of being the preferred world-class African fresh produce market and to operate as such in a way that promotes socio-economic transformation and inclusion.

Mazibuko adds: “The values of JM are embedded in the trust relationship with our stakeholders operating within the fresh produce marketing environment. As an entity we hold values including transparency and integrity in all we do, service

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excellence, quick responses to business challenges, value for our employees and taking accountability for our actions.”

The widest assortment of produce

Josiah Mazibuko, Acting CEO, Joburg Market

5,000

Number of producers marketing their produce through Joburg Market’s trading floors

The FPM in South Africa is a matured industry which calls for the kinds of quality standards showcased by JM, who adopts a strategy based on achieving key organisational priorities aligned to the objectives of its provincial and Governmental owners.

Areas of financial stability, productivity, workforce engagement, corporate social responsibility and food safety are all integrated under this umbrella and are critical domains of expertise considering the services that the Company renders; namely financial services, engineering, HR, risk management, trade, property, IT, sales, and food safety inspection.

Such attributes represent a journey as well as a success story, with JM’s origins reaching back more than a century.

Mazibuko says: “The Joburg Market was established as a fresh produce market in 1893 at the Market Square in central Johannesburg where more than 3,000 people used to

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congregate to trade in fresh produce.

The economic boom emanating from the Gold Rush era resulted in a fast growth of the city and subsequently the trading of fresh produce. To accommodate this monumental growth, new facilities were built around Newtown (Johannesburg) in 1913 and the Company achieved an annual turnover of R1.5 million in that year. As trade increased further over the years, the Newtown premises became too small to handle large consignments thus necessitating the relocation of the market to its current 64 hectare site in City Deep.”

Numerous milestones have dictated JM’s rise to prominence ever since, over the course of World Wars and domestic revolution, but the Company has remained a reliable constant throughout and is thriving to this day more than at any other time.

“JM renders a series of services which facilitate the trading of fresh produce between farmers and buyers,” Mazibuko details. “The Company has approximately 5,000 producers who are marketing their produce through its trading floors, thus ensuring the widest assortment of produce in various grades and sizes are available to buyers.

Facilitating the trade of fresh produce between farmers and buyers

Depending on the marketing season, between 9,500 and 11,000 buyers from across South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region frequent JM on a daily basis

“Depending on the marketing season, between 9,500 and 11,000 buyers from across South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region frequent JM on a daily basis.”

And, all the while, the Company works tirelessly to ensure that everything is in place to provide the best environment

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possible for each and every buyer; spending more than R88 million in the current financial year alone on updating, upgrading and improving Joburg Market.

Developing at a rapid rate

Ensuring the effective delivery of all new processes, technologies, equipments and ideologies is a staff complement of 341 permanent employees primarily derived from disadvantaged communities and – most importantly – local, women and youth segments.

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• Electrical installation • Mechanical: HVAC and Pumps • Building work: renovation and building • Civil: roads construction Tel: +27 11 510 0195 Fax: +27 86 613 0681 Cell: +27 73 861 3169 Email: tumagolecc@gmail.com info@ttecc.co.za

www.ttecc.co.za

Tumagole Trading Enterprise

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Combining all facets results in a series of differentiators that makes Joburg what it is today and sets it apart from other FMPs in the industry.

“The Joburg Market is developing at a rapid rate as a regional market and hub for South Africa and the rest of SADC,” emphasises Mazibuko. “It remains the biggest market of its kind in Africa and the southern hemisphere of the world. More than 40 percent of all fresh produce destined for South African Markets goes through the Joburg Market; and the Company serves as principal price discovery mechanism and can handle large quantities of produce and numerous varieties and product sizes. More than

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES

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on the procurement of new IT and software Serving as a one-stop buying facility for customers

R8 million on the procurement of additional plant and equipment

R60 million on recapitalising infrastructure and facilities

R5 million

on upgrading its electronic supply chain management and maintenance modules Adhering to world-class food handling standards

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which requires upgrading of amenities to world-class food handling standards as well as re-engineering of its business processes, people and systems,” Mazibuko notes. “The following has been identified as strategic objectives for the 2016 /17 financial year: to ensure financial sustainability and growth of the entity; to operate a sustainable resilient world-class marketing and trading facility; to become an agent for socioeconomic transformation, to ensure that our staff are engaged, skilled, motivated and satisfied; to become a high-performance organisation;

and to ensure effective stakeholder engagement.”

The potential that exudes from these ambitions embrace huge benefits of scale, hassle-free marketing, enhanced ease of buying, a vastly improved infrastructure, a more refined price making mechanism, and heightened experience across the internal structure of the Company.

And ultimately, with these aspects in place, Joburg Market will continue to uphold its proud tradition as the flagship Market in South Africa, and indeed the wider SADC region.

More than 1.3 million metric tonnes of produce flowed through the Joburg Market last financial year

1.3 million metric tonnes of produce flowed through the Joburg Market in the past financial year.

“The Joburg Market also serves as an effective ‘one-stop’ buying facility.

Buyers find all their fresh produce needs at JM, saving them cost. The participation of many buyers and many producers render it a highly competitive trading environment.”

The formulation of numerous local strategic partners; a strict adherence to the very latest food safety, environmental and BEE initiatives; and the sheer volume of area on hand for the Company further supports its role as a literal market leader and has set it up perfectly for the latest strategic objectives laid out for 2016/17.

“The fresh produce market system in South Africa is a matured industry

Joburg Market’s 64 hectare site in City Deep

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Golden Coach | Golden Fleet is pushing forward with a continuous improvement strategy that will see the Company implement international quality standards and deploy the latest technologies to stand out from the competition Writer: Emily Jarvis Project Manager: Callam Waller

TanzanianTran The Gold Standard in

aving aggressively expanded its fleet of trucks over the past seven years to meet the overwhelming demand for goods’ vehicles across East and Central Africa, Golden Coach | Golden Fleet Ltd has proudly built a highprofile brand known in Tanzania and the surrounding countries for exceptional customer service and industry expertise.

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Starting out as coach transportation Company, Golden Coach in 1990 – an operation which was joined by the establishment of Golden Fleet in 2002 – Founder, Mohamedraza Dewji made the decision to capitalise on the increased demand for goods transportation, particularly in the mining industry. To stand out in this increasingly saturated market, the Company has invested in a series of continuous improvement initiatives,

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focusing on the quality of its drivers and fleet; as well as implementing the relevant employment practices, and health, safety and environmental challenges that face modern businesses today.

“We have been quick to adapt and implement these practices in our business in order to build on our pre-existing brand and reputation garnered from Golden Coach. Setting the benchmark high remains an

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nsportation important pillar of our business,” says Managing Director, Ali Dewji.

These high standards have allowed the business to diversify in terms of the goods it can carry; such as becoming fully compliant with international legislations and training for an audit of cyanide transportation, which Golden Coach | Golden Fleet has been transporting since 2004. The Company’s services now comprise specialised warehousing, cyanide

storage, general storage, consultancy, and logistics and transport services.

Moreover, joining hands with a clearing agency, Freight Forwarders Tanzania Limited (FFT) has enabled the Company to reaffirm the foundations of its excellent customer care and service. “The Managing Director of FFT, Hassan Dhalla, had an excellent vision for the next 10-15 years and their strong ties with the mining sector, together with our level of dedication,

meant it was the perfect partnership for both companies,” Golden Coach | Golden Fleet’s Founder highlights.

International standards

Specialising in the transportation of bulk goods, machinery and equipment for the mining industry, Golden Coach | Golden Fleet has capitalised on the recent gas reserve discoveries in Tanzania which promise to boost business in the coming years.

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The Company’s end-to-end maintenance process deals with faults in the most efficient way possible

We want customers to see what quality means to us. In our industry, the real differentiator is the way we react when something goes wrong...

Driven by a high level of dedication to the job

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“Our fleet of 250 trucks and 270 trailers, as well as supporting vehicles – including several three tonne and 10 tonne trucks, patrol vehicles and spill response units – puts us in a good position to answer the transportation needs of the mining industry now and in the future,” says Ali Dewji.

Working with the local mines has necessitated the adoption of very high health and safety standards throughout Golden Coach | Golden Fleet’s operations. Furthering this aptitude for continuous improvement, the Company is currently aligning the business with the requirements of international standards’ ISO 9001 and 14001 with the hopes to achieve certification soon.

Supported by a team of more than 80 specialised repairmen situated at its workshop, the Group has invested in an end-to-end maintenance and quality process that is designed to continuously monitor possible faults or areas of concern and deal with them in

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LOCAL SOLUTIONS INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

Freight Forwarders Tanzania Ltd offers a comprehensive range of professional logistics solutions throughout East & Central Africa.

PO Box 79658, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Tel: +255 (0)22 2129984 / 2136522 / 2139892 Email: general@ffwdt.com www.freightforwarderstz.com

the most efficient way possible.

“We want customers to see what quality means to us. In our industry, the real differentiator is the way we react when something goes wrong and the steps we take to make sure that the incident won’t happen again.

With a strong focus on processes and working to international standards, we are enabling the highest quality of delivery and service levels possible,” the Managing Director emphasises.

In readiness for an industry upturn, Golden Coach | Golden Fleet has 20 new trucks in its main yard currently being serviced and fitted with its signature safety and tracking equipment. “We have recently purchased another 1.5 acres adjacent to our main yard on Mandela Road, which has direct access to the port and several container terminals within five10 minutes travel time. This is where our head office is located; as well as our parking facility, maintenance workshop, painting facilities and our

Golden Coach | Golden Fleet head office

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fuel station for private use. Our second yard is located in Mbagala and is used to store our trailers and act as an additional parking facility,” he adds.

Satellite tracking

As one of Tanzania’s first-adopters of satellite tracking in all its vehicles, Golden Coach | Golden Fleet is keen to keep up-to-date with the latest technological advances and implement those most beneficial to the Company’s needs.

“We are constantly replacing our fleet with the newest and most advanced vehicles in order to offer our customers the best quality of service,” says Ali Dewji. “Having studied abroad in the UK, I was able to return to Tanzania with an informed and more tech-savvy approach to business. I propelled the implementation of the GPS tracking system to monitor our

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fleet which turned out to be one of the best business decisions we ever made.

“We are still one of the few companies locally who offer a GPS tracking system, which gets updated every three-five minutes via global satellites. GPS gives us a more accurate and much more frequent position status as opposed to GSM which relies on base stations nearby, which can be patchy in certain areas.”

After the successful launch of the GPS tracking system, an ERP system was developed from scratch to streamline existing processes, mitigating the need for paperwork and repetitive data entry.

SMART goals

The Company is one of the few locally who offer a GPS tracking system

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The transport sector has grown to become one of Tanzania’s biggest industries, which makes recruiting the

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majority of spare parts and sourcing employees locally a much less daunting task than in previous decades. With 99 percent of its staff sourced from the local area, Golden Coach | Golden Fleet prides itself on hiring locally and taking part in social upliftment in the community.

According to Gallup’s recent 142-country study on the State of the Global Workplace, only 13 percent of employees are engaged at work.

This statistic is something that Golden Coach | Golden Fleet strive to change by creating a motivated workforce with a sense of belonging and incentives to show the Company’s appreciation of each employee encompassing a broad range of rewards; from hosting an employee of the year award ceremony to office trips, bonuses to gifts.

About the Founder During his time living in Singida, Mohamedraza Dewji, Founder of Golden Coach | Golden Fleet gained firsthand experience as a truck driver.

Led by his entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking, the Company moved from transporting people to the transportation of goods. The success of this diversification strategy is reflected in the Company’s size today, having grown a team of more than 450 employees.

“We have a robust training scheme that consists of several elements that ultimately make our drivers, maintenance crew and support staff the best they can be,” Ali Dewji notes. “Our people and reputation in the market are two key factors that have allowed us to build concrete and long-term relationships with local banks, tyre suppliers, spare part dealers and more.”

Building trust and a strong local reputation has resulted in an impressive 98 percent customer satisfaction rate, something which is reaffirmed by Golden Coach | Golden Fleet’s SMART goals strategy. Mohamedraza Dewji concludes: “We believe in having SMART goals; which stands for ‘Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound’. With this strategy in place, we hope to reduce our incident account to zero major incidents within the next year. Moreover, by obtaining the ISO certifications, we hope to unlock further opportunities locally and we forecast this will expand our fleet size by 25 percent, pushing Golden Coach | Golden Fleet closer to becoming the leading transport Company in East Africa.”

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Over the past five years, Dodhia Packaging has upheld a continuous improvement strategy resulting in enhancements throughout the Company’s value chain to ultimately create the best final product possible Writer: Emily Jarvis • Project Manager: Stuart Parker

riven by the increasing demand for a high quality finished product supported by a strong value-add proposition, Nairobi-based packaging manufacturer, Dodhia Packaging Ltd (DPL) continues to explore ways to differentiate itself from the evercompetitive Kenyan market.

Producing a range of corrugated cartons and boxes for clients across a variety of verticals, the Company has steadily improved its quality, range, volume and capacity of products since establishment in 1974.

“Five decades later and DPL is now capable of producing in excess of 2,000 tonnes a month; making us the largest player in the Kenyan cardboard packaging market,” confirms Navraj Dhillon, Director.

“One of the main factors that made this possible has been our continuous improvement strategy, where we are investing in higher speed machinery through add-ons and modifications to make productivity the best it can be.”

The Company’s recent partnership with Riley Packaging in Uganda further supported this strategy, resulting in DPL becoming one of the largest suppliers of corrugated cartons in East and Central Africa.

An ISO 9001:2008 certified Company, DPL has a reputation for keeping a close eye on quality and customer service, conducting all the relevant checks before a product leaves the factory. “Competition in the local Kenyan market is fierce and price is a major factor for our customers. The kind of product we supply makes it very easy for a client to source it elsewhere in such a short period of time. Therefore we need to ensure our quality is always as close to 100 percent as possible and look at ways to add value for our customers,” says Dhillon.

“Our success can be attributed to the principle that our customers

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deserve a quality product, timely delivery and a fair price. In order to provide this we have committed ourselves to a strategy leading to sustainable and lasting relationships involving our customers, employees and suppliers. As a result of this strategy, we are now the preferred suppliers for some of the largest organisations in East Africa.”

Changes in demand

Over time, DPL’s core product range has seen many modifications and improvements so as to continue answering both the client and endconsumers’ needs. “Cartons have gone from being just boxes for goods transportation to a way of advertising your product due to their everyday visibility,” the Director explains. “This is especially the case in Africa, where just looking around you will notice products in these cartons; from little shops on the roadside to the back of motorbikes and trucks. As a Company

Corporate citizen Dodhia Packaging Limited regularly makes contributions to the local community, with notable initiatives including the donation of water tanks, Jalaram Mandir feeding programme and fundraising for the annual Rhino Charge. Created by the Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust, a fundraising initiative to build the Aberdare Electric Fence to protect animals from poachers and protect crops, money is raised through the Rhino Charge off-road 4x4 motorsport competition held in a remote part of Kenya.

Adopting a strategy of continuous improvement

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we constantly look at ways to provide our clients with better designed boxes, complete with clear and colourful branding that serves to market the product towards the target audience.”

As the East African market becomes more and more sophisticated, DPL expect the demand for innovative and attractive packaging to continue growing. To meet this demand, ongoing research and development (R&D) and equipment upgrades are required.

Dhillon details: “The continuous improvement of our machinery is one of the core pillars of our strategy.

Over the past five years, we have focused on improving our corrugators and printing machines in line with the latest technological advances in packaging. Our machines now have more automated elements which have increased our manufacturing productivity, efficiency and capability to offer customers a larger variety of carton sizes and options.”

To further solidify its market position over the next two years, DPL will focus on refining the price point for its corrugated cartons in a bid to offer innovative solutions at a fair price.

“The larger the manufacturing runs the more efficient the operation and the more cost-savings we can pass onto the customer. We will continue to focus on this and improve output.

On the other hand, as more and more small and medium businesses popup there will be a bigger demand for smaller volume jobs. It is our job to come up with the best ways to cater for this important market that is beginning to emerge,” the Director adds.

Sustainability

Environmentally-friendly production has always been a priority for DPL and marks another core pillar of the Company’s continuous improvement, which ultimately revolves around increasing productivity and quality in

very core of evolution very core of very core ofevolution evolution very core of evolution Martin Dansky Martin Dansky “Change isallcreatures at thewould and without it; all look alike and and without creatures would look alike and and without it;it; all creatures would look alike and behave the same way.” behave the same way.” behave the same way.” very core of evolution Martin Dansky Martin Dansky Martin Dansky very core of evolution “Change isis “Change isat atthe thewould “Change at the and all creatures andwithout withoutit; it; all creatures wouldlook lookalike alikeand and behave behavethe thesame sameway.” way.”

and without it; all creatures would look alike and behave the same way.”

Martin Dansky

“Change is at the very core of evolution and without it; all creatures would look alike and behave the same way”

Martin Dansky

Hi-Tech Inks would like to congratulate Dhodia Packaging on their recent and ongoing successes, and we look together to grow our partnership in the Weforward are proudto toworking be associated with Polypak to come. andyears we would like tostarting wish them continued Hi-Tech Hi-TechInks Inksisisspreading spreadingits itswings. wings.We’re We’re startingaabrand brandnew newchapter chapterininour ourbusiness business

We are proud to be associated business success and growth with Polypak andHaving we would like to wish them continued recently spread our wings across business andour growth Africasuccess to expand product and services

with withlots lotsofofpositive positivechanges, changes,such suchasasaanew newbrand brandidentity. identity.Hi-Tech Hi-TechInks Inkswill willcontinue continue totostay staytrue truetotoour ourestablished establishedvalues, values,skilled skilledstaff staffand andexceptional exceptionaldelivery deliverythat thatour our Hi-Tech Inks ishave spreading its wings.

We’re starting alook new chapter our business Hi-Tech Inks isspreading spreading wings.

We’re starting abrand brand new chapter inour our business Hi-Tech Inks ishave itsits wings.

We’re starting abrand new chapter inchallenges business customers become accustomed to.

We forward to new and customers become accustomed to.

Welook forward to newinchallenges and with lots ofofpositive changes, such as new brand identity.

Hi-Tech Inks will continue with lots ofpositive positive changes, such afuture new brand identity.

Hi-Tech Inks will continue with lots changes, such asaasafuture new brand identity.

Hi-Tech Inks will continue new successes with our and clients. new successes with ourexisting existing and clients. tototo stay true tototo our established values, skilled staff and exceptional delivery that our stay true our established values, skilled staff and exceptional delivery that our stay true our established values, skilled staff and exceptional delivery that our Hi-Tech Inks ishave spreading its wings.

We’re starting a brand new chapter inchallenges our business customers have become accustomed to.

We look forward toto new challenges and customers become accustomed to.

We look forward to new and customers have become accustomed to.

We look forward new challenges and with lots of positive changes, such asfuture afuture newclients. brand identity. Hi-Tech Inks will continue new successes with our existing and new successes with our existing and future clients. new successes with our existing and clients. to stay true to our established values, skilled staff and exceptional delivery that our customers have become accustomed to. We Durban look forward to new challenges and Gauteng Cape Gauteng Durban CapeTown Town Brunton Circle, 4 4Teakwood 1616Moody new successes with5757our existing and View future clients.

Brunton Circle,Founder Founder ViewSouth South TeakwoodRoad, Road,Jacobs Jacobs MoodyAve, Ave,Epping Epping1 1

reach, Hi-Tech Inks have made lots of positive changes. But one thing doesn’t change. We continue to stay true to our established values.

Tel: Tel: Tel: Tel:+27 +271111372 3724651 4651 Tel:+27 +273131465 4650601 0601 Tel:+27 +272121532 5320323 0323 Email: Email: Email:info.jhb@hitechinks.co.za info.jhb@hitechinks.co.za Email:info.dbn@hitechinks.co.za info.dbn@hitechinks.co.za Email: Email:info.cape@hitechinks.co.za info.cape@hitechinks.co.za Gauteng Durban Cape Town Gauteng Durban Cape Town Gauteng Durban Cape Town 4 4Teakwood Road, Jacobs 1616Moody Ave, Epping 11 1 5757Brunton Circle, Founder View South 57 Brunton Circle, Founder View South 4 Teakwood Road, Jacobs 16 Moody Ave, Epping Brunton Circle, Founder View South Teakwood Road, Jacobs Moody Ave, Epping Tel: +27 1111372 4651 Tel: +27 3131465 0601 Tel: +27 2121532 0323 Tel: +27 11 372 4651 Tel: +27 31 465 0601 Tel: +27 21 532 0323 Tel: +27 372 4651 Tel: +27 465 0601 Tel: +27 532 0323 Email: info.jhb@hitechinks.co.za info.dbn@hitechinks.co.za info.cape@hitechinks.co.za Email: info.jhb@hitechinks.co.za Email: Email: info.dbn@hitechinks.co.zaEmail: Email: info.cape@hitechinks.co.za Email: info.jhb@hitechinks.co.za Email: info.dbn@hitechinks.co.za Email: info.cape@hitechinks.co.za

6198_HTI_A4 6198_HTI_A4ad_btrfly.indd ad_btrfly.indd 1 1 Gauteng

Durban 57 Brunton Circle, Founder View South 4 Teakwood Road, Jacobs Tel: +27 11 372 4651 Tel: +27 31 465 0601 Email: info.jhb@hitechinks.co.za Email: info.dbn@hitechinks.co.za

www.hitechinks.co.za www.hitechinks.co.za www.hitechinks.co.za www.hitechinks.co.za www.hitechinks.co.za www.hitechinks.co.za www.hitechinks.co.za

Cape Town 16 Moody Ave, Epping 1 Tel: +27 21 532 0323 Email: info.cape@hitechinks.co.za

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www.hitechinks.co.za

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Androclovi Chemicals Agencies Ltd

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2010/06/21 11:36 AM

We would like to congratulate Dodhia Packaging on their success.

Manufacturers and suppliers of: Industrial detergents for: • Degreasing • Rust prevention and removal • Tile cleaning Surface treatment chemicals for: • Automotive & Leisure industries

PO Box 44301 – 00100 Lungalunga Road, Industrial Area, Nairobi

Industrial adhesives for: • Book binding • Labelling and lamination • Woodwork

Cell: +254 722 513 152 +254 733 513 152

Industrial adhesives for: • Oil and air filters • Ceramic tiles

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line with a reduced carbon footprint.

“Made of paper and starch glue, our corrugated carton is 100 percent recyclable. Moreover, all of our waste from the production process is supplied to a waste paper collector – who adheres to a strict criteria – and converted back into paper which we buy to make more cartons. This cyclical process is not only sustainable, but

Navraj Dhillon, Director

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By next year, we would like to further increase our output by securing improved productivity and potentially making investments in new machinery

cost-effective and secures our supply of raw materials,” says Dhillon.

Supporting the whole manufacturing process is DPL’s ERP system and a team of young local professionals who are pushing the business forward.

Driven by production targets, the ERP software is able to ensure minimum objectives are achieved and no production time lost; while Company training results in a good culture of teamwork and building relationships with local suppliers.

“Wherever possible, we like to do business with local suppliers; they play a big role in the success of our business. Paper is our biggest raw material and we procure around 70 percent locally from Kenya and Tanzania. In terms of equipment, we import from all over the world and our long-term relationship with partners gives us access to the finest quality of materials at a fair price, delivered in a timely manner,” he states.

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Adopting Kaizen across all areas of its core activities has resulted in a winning strategy that continues to stand DPL head and shoulders above the competition. Focusing on improvements to its corrugated carton product range that align with industry needs, DPL will place even more emphasis on cementing client relationships and utilising its reputation as a springboard to form new ones.

Dhillon concludes: “By next year, we would like to further increase our output by securing improved productivity and potentially making investments in new machinery. We will continue to provide quality products on-time and we are keeping an open mind towards other new forms of packaging that we could offer to the market.�

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Unlocking Sustainable Growth In pursuit of technological advancement and social upliftment, Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality is aligning with the Government’s Vision 2030 National Development Plan to fuel regional growth Writer: Emily Jarvis Project Manager: Arron Rampling n pursuit of its Vision situated in one of the “most beautiful 2020 to become more landscapes in the world”. technologically “By 2020, unemployment and advanced and unlock poverty will be unheard of and we will new socio-economic open ourselves to the rest of the world development with the help of to discover our unique African the indigenous cultural history,” says the entrepreneurial spirit of Municipality. the local people, Made up of four Maluti-A-Phofung former TLC local (MAP) Local authorities – Municipality namely QwaQwa – situated in the Rural, Kestell, Free State Phuthaditjhaba Province of South and Harrismith – Africa – is targeting the Municipality Vusi Tshabalala, Maluti-A-Phofung a more equitable, combines rural Executive Mayor sustainable, healthy villages established Image credit: www.dumelangnews.co.za and crime-free societal on tribal lands with future. urban landscapes and Established in December, has access to strategic trade 2001, in accordance with the relevant links that serve the Gauteng and Government policies, Maluti-AKwaZulu-Natal provinces. “Harrismith Phofung comprises 35 wards across is an economic hub for people living approximately 4,421 square kilometres in Tshiame, Intabazwe and Qwaqwa.

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Phuthaditjhaba Business Centre

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By contrast, the rural areas of MAP comprise commercial farms and major nature conservation centres such as Qwaqwa National Park, Platberg, Sterkfontein Dam and Maluti Mountain Range,” MAP highlights.

“The area is not only a tourist attraction destination, but also contributes immensely to local upliftment by generating gross agricultural income for the whole of the Province and is also highly regarded for its beef production.”

Free State

With a mission statement that encompasses self-reliance and coordination with various stakeholders in the delivery of development and sustainability, MAP has focused on ways to unlock technological advancement, infrastructure, employment and tourism opportunities to foster municipal growth. Its situation in the Free State, the third largest province in South Africa presents its own unique set of challenges and opportunities to

Recent projects • Paving of six kilometres of road in Phuthaditjhaba • A new surfaced road in Intabazwe, Harrismith • Provision of sanitation services at Mandela Park • 153 high-mast lights in place across four towns • Upgrading of infrastructure at cemeteries • Refurbishment of Fika Patso water purification plant • Improvements to the water supply in Metsi Matso

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overcome and equally grab hold of to ensure a safe and secure environment with high morality.

“The Free State’s economy is dominated by agriculture, mining and manufacturing – also known as the ‘bread basket’ of South Africa – and about 90 percent of the province is under cultivation for crop production,” states MAP. “It produces approximately 34 percent of the total maize production in South Africa; including 37 percent of the province’s wheat, 53 percent of sorghum, 33 percent of potatoes, 18 percent of

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meat, 30 percent of groundnuts and 15 percent of wool. It the world’s fifth largest gold producer, with mining and chemical industries also home to the giant synthetic fuels Company, Sasol.”

Compared to the demographic composition of the rest of the Thabo Mofutsanyana District, MAP has the highest population density categorised as the third highest in the Free State.

A Category B Municipality, MAP is located in the eastern part of the Free State province that forms part of a scenic tapestry, which changes radically with each season.

S SAMBAL INVESTMENT (PTY) LTD

A Simple Commonsense Approach Robs Investment Holdings (Pty) Limited provides innovative civil, building and electrical engineering and revenue management solutions. Based in the Free State province, Robs is committed to becoming South Africa’s leading and most competent service provider in the construction and investment spheres respectively.

We aim to provide solutions that not only exceed our clients’ expectations, but also create an enabling environment for sustainable employment opportunities.

Having grown from our humble roots as a small holding company of four subsidiary enterprises specialising in the retail, manufacturing and promotions sectors, Robs is now a well established company in varied engineering and management disciplines.

With continued growth, and to help extend our reach beyond the Free State Province, we are committed to investing and developing our skills and resources towards becoming South Africa’s leading construction and investment Company.

Mospak Trading

Mospak is an award-winning Free State based clothing manufacturing co-operative, providing a variety of garments, specialising in uniform, PPC, linen, corporate wear and fashion.

Robs Properties (Pty) Ltd

Robs Properties (Pty) Ltd is a Real Estate/ Property Management company based in QwaQwa, established in 2004 under the sound directorship of Mr. Mohlouoa Isaac Seoe. The company manages eight buildings situated in the Bloemfontein CBD, of which three are owned by itself, namely Civilia Building, LM Building, and Sinodale Building, four are owned by its associate company Sambal Investment, namely Business Partners Building, Old Sanlam Building, Syfrets Building, and Warden Building, and one by the parent company Robs Investment Holdings, namely TAB Building, which it leases out to various provincial departments in the Free State.

Robs Properties strives to be a power-house in the Property Management field and expand its business throughout the country.

The company continues to provide excellent service to its tenants and ensures regular maintenance of all its buildings without disturbing the day-to-day operations of the buildings’ occupants.

Sambal investment

Sambal investment is a property investment company which was established in November of 2007. The company has 4 commercial properties that are leased by various provincial department in Bloemfontein Free State. All Sambal Investment properties are managed by it’s sister company Robs Properties, the company currently has a portfolio of 66.3 million.

Sheek Events and Communications

Robs number choice for events and branding needs. Sheek pride ourselves with creating unique experiences for our clients and delivering on our promise to get the job done.

www.robsinvestment.co.za

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Special Economic Zone

Identified by the Government’s Vision 2030 National Development Plan (NDP) as a core area that would benefit from South Africa’s National Infrastructure Plan, MAP was recently nominated as one of the “strategic beneficiaries of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ)”.

Designed to consolidate rural development, job creation and improvement of sustained better livelihoods, the NDP acts as a welcome boost locally that promises to bring around 5,000 potential job opportunities through an injection of more than R5 billion.

“We are inviting more investors to engage with the Municipality and its stakeholders as things develop,” says MAP. The beneficiaries of the funding

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include the Harrismith Logistics Hub, aimed at minimising and eradicating the high unemployment rate in the area. “The SEZ project in Harrismith is exciting as it has the potential to help us advance into a smart city; with the residents, labourers and schools aligning as one city with new opportunities. This will mitigate some of our labour challenge and help us to retain people. In ensuring we create a conducive and enabling environment for investors, the Municipality has put aside R300 million to focus on the infrastructural and functional needs of the SEZ.” Under the guidance of the SEZ strategy and its operational framework, MAP hope to utilise this knowledge to boost the existing industrial areas and rejuvenate both income and employment rates.

MANNA HOLDINGS PTY LTD

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anna Property Valuations is a professional service provider that undertakes property valuation services for banks, municipalities, Government departments and corporate clients.

Vision: Manna Holdings is a growing entity with an ambitious vision to become one of the most formidable black owned organisations in South Africa, and currently holds a BBBEE Level 1 accreditation.

Purpose: To impart property valuation knowledge to previously disadvantaged communities.

Mission: To provide proficient, groundbreaking property valuation services in South Africa and the continent at-large.

Obligations incidental to property valuation projects undertaken by Manna Holdings include legalities governing, and the need to ensure compliance with the following legislation: • The South African Constitution #108 of 1996 • Municipal Property Rates Act 6 of 2004 (amended by Act 29 of 2014) • Property Valuations Act 17 of 2014 • Property Valuers Profession Act 47 of 2000 • South African Council for the Property Valuers Profession Code of Conduct as required by S28 of Act 47 of 2000 • Public Finance Management Act of 2012 • The Professional Planning Act 36 of 2002 • The Occupational Health and Safety Act #85 of 1993 • Access to Information Act 2 of 2002 Through continuous improvement and implementation of the latest industry specific technology, we ensure a high level of competitiveness and customer satisfaction.

www.mannaholdings.co.za Kestell Golf Course

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MANNA HOLDINGS (Pty) Ltd WORK AT HEIGHT

PROPERTY VALUATIONS

Our products and services include the following:

We visit a site and assess the type and magnitude of the valuation work to be carried out. Our highly skilled personnel are allocated to a particular project per area of specialisation.

• Work restraint, positioning and fall arrest equipment • Medical kits • Safety Equipment and protective clothing for Mining • Safety Equipment and protective clothing for fire fighting • Protective footwear and safety shoes • Vehicle fall protection systems • Emergency evacuation equipment • Post fall rescue solutions • Fall protection plans • Confined space access, egress and rescue • Inspection, service and maintenance of equipment and systems

VALUAT I ON F I EL DS • Property asset registers • Valuation rolls • Land audits • Commercial assessments • Portfolio valuations VALUAT I ON T Y PES • Agricultural & farms • Retail, offices, industrial • Residential valuations • Specialised properties

Tel: 012 345 3664 · Fax: 012 345 2468 · info@mannaholdings.co.za www.mannaholdings.co.za

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Sterkfontein bulk sewer

Contractor Development Plan

As recently outlined by the office of the Executive Mayor, infrastructure development is incremental to any area keen to rejuvenate and grow.

This revelation led to the introduction of a Contractor Development Plan that promises to take an aggressive approach to infrastructure development to fuel municipal growth.

“With an estimated budget of R17 million, the initiative was set-up in response to the nine-point plan detailed by SONA (State of the Nation Address) in a bid to achieve economic equality, job creation, transformation and economic growth,” explains MAP. In addition to the Mayor’s plans, the Municipality is already in the initial construction stages for a new shopping mall worth R69 million; with further lucrative infrastructure projects on the horizon.

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Furthermore, the Municipality intends to advance in the construction of the highly-anticipated Maluti-a-Phofung Legacy Park in the Farm Bluegumbosch 199 area, formerly known as Bokamoso.

“The Park, which has received approximately R300 million to develop, will have approximately 624 residential plots which will serve to phase out Phuthaditjhaba as a homeland town.

To that effect, the project will have major road links and a modern design to give it that urban feel and it will also directly face the University of the Free State,” MAP confirms.

These projects and initiatives will serve to complement those already underway in the area, including the Mayoral Empowerment Programme attentive to agricultural mixed farming and the Contractor Development Programme. One such farm that has benefitted from this since October,

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2015 is Rietlaagte Farm, situated between Kestell and Harrismith. “The purpose of the launch was to introduce the Programme to the Maluti-APhofung Municipality citizens with the intention of improving the livelihoods of the local residents by creating jobs, stabilising food security and alleviating poverty,” confirms MAP.

Equipped for the future

Utilising technology to enhance both energy efficiency and local wellbeing is something which sits at the heart of Maluti’s investments and goals. In respect of the former, the Municipality is about to construct a 65 MW solar plant in Makgolokweng with an estimated budget of R2.1 billion. “This significant project will be constructed

by RAM Electrical and funded by Simcoe Renewable Energy Corp from Canada. Once optimal operation is reached, the plant will create more than 500 job opportunities of which 250 will be permanent positions.

“We are thankful to Ekhaya Pty Ltd, in association with ENVESTO AFRICA

Phuthaditjhaba Business Centre

Special Economic Zone in Harrismith

and TwinPeak Technologies Pty Ltd, for helping us to begin such an important project that will have a significant local impact.”

These are just a cross-section of the projects currently underway or in the pipeline within the Municipality that are sure to help the area develop and meet its vision and goals to become a more technically advanced and sustainable future. By embracing its cultural heritage to capitalise on the opportunities available in the international market of cultural tourism – while deploying the most appropriate development plans to bolster the local economy across its core industry mainstays – MAP is well on its way to achieving its own Vision 2020.

“Above all, we strive to be an accountable Government in the eyes of all our people, and the investments we are making serve to solidify this key pillar of our vision,” MAP concludes.

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POWER

NIGERIA

E V E N T

F O C U S

Power Nigeria poised to assist industry growth in 2016 ONE OF NIGERIA’S leading power exhibitions dedicated to the burgeoning African power industry is set to take place on 27-29 September in Lagos.

The exhibition, which is now in its fifth show cycle, has witnessed a 31 percent increase in exhibitor numbers and 20 percent increase in floor space, with conglomerates such as Skipper Electric, Schneider, Philips Nigeria and Sakr Power all taking part to further bolster

E V E N T

D E TA I L S

WHEN: 27-29 September, 2016 WHERE: Eko Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria WEBSITE: www.power-nigeria.com

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their growth strategies in the country.

According to a recent report by Latham & Watkins, Nigeria’s average annual per capita power consumption – only 155 kWh – is among the lowest in the world. In 2015, a large amount of Nigeria’s installed capacity was unavailable. The country’s estimated available capacity from the grid of approximately 4,500 MW meets only around one-third of the estimated current demand for power from the grid.

“Power Nigeria is the right avenue and platform for different companies who are interested in investing and doing business in the Nigerian power sector to collaborate. In all honesty, this platform has provided my company the opportunity to meet prospective clients/ potential customers that otherwise we would not have met through online marketing alone,” Obinna R. Okafor, Operations/Sales Engineer for Topec B.V/ TPN Ltd commented in the lead up to the exhibition.

Following the success of last year’s two-day conference, the organisers will once again be hosting a number of freeto-attend content sessions. The CPD-

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accredited Power Nigeria conference will feature renowned experts from the West African power industry discussing the latest developments in the energy sector.

Delivering the keynote address will be Olawale Oluwo, Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources, Lagos State, who will discuss current trends in the country’s energy sector, what should be expected and how these trends will impact business – and growth – moving forward.

We s p e c i a l i z e i n

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